rising diphthong: Meaning and Definition of

ris'ing diph'thong

Pronunciation: (gwä'vu). [key]
— Phonet. Phonet.
  1. a diphthong in which the first of two apparent vocalic elements is of lesser stress or sonority than the second, as the (wä) in guavaCf.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.