Semiquaver

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈsɛmiˌkweɪvə(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. A type of musical notation represents a note that is held for a fraction of time, specifically one-sixteenth of a full note's duration
2. This term indicates a specific note in music that is played for a short duration, exactly one-sixteenth of a whole note
3. A musical term referring to a note with a duration of one-sixteenth of a whole note, indicating rapid play and specific timing in musical compositions

Etymology: A semiquaver is a note worth half a quaver, which in turn is worth half a crotchet, so the name is a chain of halvings. The first part, "semi-", comes from Latin "sēmi-", meaning "half", a prefix that has passed into English with the same sense it had in Rome. The Latin root behind it goes back to the ancient Indo-European word for half, which is why "semi" turns up in so many languages with the same meaning. The second part, "quaver", is an English word that describes a musical note with a quick, trembling sound. Joining the two gives a name that says exactly what the note is: a half-length version of the quaver. Musicians adopted the pattern because British notation names note values by their fractions of a beat, and this compound simply extends that system one step further down.

Synonyms: demisemiquaver, thirty-second note