hiatus

[ hahy-ey-tuhs ]
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noun,plural hi·a·tus·es, hi·a·tus.
  1. a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.

  2. a missing part; gap or lacuna: Scholars attempted to account for the hiatus in the medieval manuscript.

  1. any gap or opening.

  2. Grammar, Prosody. the coming together, with or without break or slight pause, and without contraction, of two vowels in successive words or syllables, as in see easily.

  3. Anatomy. a natural fissure, cleft, or foramen in a bone or other structure.

Origin of hiatus

1
First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin hiātus “opening, gap,” equivalent to hiā(re) “to gape, open” + -tus, noun suffix

Other words for hiatus

Other words from hiatus

  • hi·a·tal, adjective

Words Nearby hiatus

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How to use hiatus in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hiatus

hiatus

/ (haɪˈeɪtəs) /


nounplural -tuses or -tus
  1. (esp in manuscripts) a break or gap where something is missing

  2. a break or interruption in continuity

  1. a break between adjacent vowels in the pronunciation of a word

  2. anatomy a natural opening or aperture; foramen

  3. anatomy a less common word for vulva

Origin of hiatus

1
C16: from Latin: gap, cleft, aperture, from hiāre to gape, yawn

Derived forms of hiatus

  • hiatal, adjective

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