semivowel
noun/ˈsemivaʊəl/
/ˈsemivaʊəl/
(phonetics)- a speech sound that sounds like a vowel but functions as a consonant, for example /w/ and /j/ in the English words wet and yetWord Originmid 16th cent.: from semi- + vowel, on the pattern of Latin semivocalis.
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semivowel