English Explanatory Dictionary

hiatus

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A gap in a series, making it incomplete.
  2. An interruption, break, pause or absence.
  3. An temporary break from work, especially one which is unexpected.
  4. A gap in geological strata.
  5. An opening in an organ.
  6. A syllable break between two vowels, without an intervening consonant.

Pronunciation

/haɪˈeɪtəs/ /hɐˈjaː.t̪ʊs/ en-us-hiatus.ogg

Word forms

hiatus hiatuses hiati

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin hiātus (“opening”) (mid-16th century), from hiō (“stand open, yawn”).

Synonyms

break breather moratorium recess cessation demurral gap caesura hiatus halt halting interregnum interruption lapse pause respite resting stoppage stopping suspension

Derived words

adductor hiatus hiatal hiatic hiatus hernia hiatus magnus prehiatus
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