The word "approximant" means an articulation that is intermediate between a fricative and a vowel. Some synonyms for this word include "semivowel," which refers to a speech sound that is produced with little or no obstruction of the air flow, such as the sounds /w/ and /j/ in English. Other synonyms include "glide" or "liquid," which are two types of consonants that are characterized by a smooth, flowing sound. "Semiconsonant" is another synonym that is sometimes used to describe approximants. Overall, these words all refer to speech sounds that have a less constriction of the vocal tract than their neighboring consonants.