mater lectionis

/ˈmeɪtə lɛktiˈəʊnɪs/

mater lectionis

English Noun

Definition

A consonant letter used to represent a vowel sound in Semitic scripts.

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin māter lēctiōnis (literally “mother of reading”), calque of Medieval Hebrew אֵם קְרִיאָה (ʾēm qərîʾā).