hiatus

(hī-ā'təs)
n., pl., -tus·es, or hiatus.

1. A gap or interruption in space, time, or continuity; a break: "We are likely to be disconcerted by . . . hiatuses of thought" (Edmund Wilson).
2. Linguistics. A slight pause that occurs when two immediately adjacent vowels in consecutive syllables are pronounced, as in reality and naive.
3. Anatomy. A separation, aperture, fissure, or short passage in an organ or body part.

[Latin hiātus, from past participle of hiāre, to gape.]

hiatal hi·a'tal (-āt'l) adj.

View more Literature & Language videos

noun

An interval during which continuity is suspended: break, gap, interim, lacuna, void. See continue/stop/pause.

n

Definition: pause, interruption
Antonyms: continuation, continuity

hiatus [hy‐ay‐tŭs], (i) a break in pronunciation between two adjacent vowels, either within a word (forming two distinct syllables, as in doing, rather than a diphthong as in joint) or between the end of one word and the beginning of the next (e.g. the expense rather than the elision of th'expense);

(ii) any gap or omission in a sentence, verse, or logical argument. See also diaeresis, ellipsis, lacuna.

hiātus (‘gap’), in Greek and Latin poetry, a break in a line when a vowel at the end of one word is not elided before a vowel at the beginning of the next, as it would be by normal scansion (see ELISION). If the earlier vowel is long it may retain its length or be shortened (for an explanation of ‘long’ and ‘short’ in metric see METRE, GREEK 1). Hiatus is common in Greek epic verse (see DIGAMMA), rare in Latin epic.

See Elision

IN BRIEF: A break in space or time where a part is missing.

They took a brief hiatus during the conference to discuss an important side issue.

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

Pl. hiatus [L.] an aperture, gap, cleft or opening.

• aortic h., h. aorticus — the opening in the diaphragm through which the aorta and thoracic duct pass.
• esophageal h. hernia — see hiatal hernia.
• esophageal h., h. esophageus — the opening in the diaphragm for the passage of the esophagus and the vagus nerves.
• vena caval h. — the opening in the diaphragm for the passage of the caudal vena cava; properly called foramen venae cavae.

For a list of words related to hiatus, see:

• Devices, Techniques, and Elements - hiatus: two vowel sounds that come together without pause or intervening consonantal sound
• Vacations and Interludes - hiatus: interruption or break in normal activities
• Periods of Time - hiatus: break or gap in continuity

---

See words rhyming with "hiatus."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Hiatus.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - åbning, kløft

Nederlands (Dutch)
hiaat, leegte

Français (French)
n. - temps d'arrêt, lacune, (Ling, Littérat) hiatus

Deutsch (German)
n. - Lücke, Unterbrechung

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - χάσμα, χασμωδία, κενό

Italiano (Italian)
iato, lacuna

Português (Portuguese)
n. - hiato (m) (Anat.) (Gram.)

Русский (Russian)
пробел, зияние

Español (Spanish)
n. - hiato, laguna

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - lucka (i text), avbrott, hiatus, vokalmöte (språkv.)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
裂缝, 脱漏部分, 空隙

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 裂縫, 脫漏部分, 空隙

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 중단, 탈락, 모음 접속, 틈

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - すき間, 中断, 脱落, 母音連続, 裂孔

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) ثغرة أو فجوة, التقاء حرفين في اللغه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮פירצה, חור, פעירה, הפסקה, פער בין שתי תנועות עוקבות, אך שאינן נמצאות באותה הברה‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.