- a vowel-like sound that acts like a consonant, in that it serves the same function in a syllable carrying the same amount of prominence as a consonant relative to a true vowel, the nucleus of the syllable. In English and many other languages the chief semivowels are (w) in well and (j), represented as y, in yell
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
sem•i•vow•el /ˈsɛmɪˌvaʊəl/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Phoneticsa speech sound of vowel quality used as a consonant, such as /w/ in wet or /y/ in yet.
sem•i•vow•el
(sem′ē vou′əl),USA pronunciation n.
- Phoneticsa speech sound of vowel quality used as a consonant, as (w) in wet or (y) in yet.
- Latin sēmivocālis half vowel
- 1520–30; semi- + vowel; replacing semivocal
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
semivowel /ˈsɛmɪˌvaʊəl/ n
'semivowel' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):