Hiatus HIA'TUS, n. [L. from hio, to open or gape.] 1. An opening;
an aperture; a gap; a chasm. 2. The opening of the mouth in reading
or speaking, when a word ends with a vowel,and the following word begins
with a vowel. 3. A defect; a chasm in a manuscript,where some part
is lost or effaced.
hiatus
n 1: an interruption in the intensity or amount of something
[syn: suspension, respite, reprieve, hiatus,
abatement]
2: a missing piece (as a gap in a manuscript)
3: a natural opening or perforation through a bone or a
membranous structure [syn: foramen, hiatus]
hiatus
1563, "break or opening in a material object," from L. hiatus "opening,
rupture, gap," from hiare "to gape, stand open." Sense of "gap or
interruption in events, etc." is first recorded 1613.
hiatus nounEtymology: Latin, from hiare to yawn — more at yawnDate: 1563 1.a. a break in or as if in a material object ;gap
<the hiatus between the theory and the practice of the party —
J. G. Colton> b. a gap or passage in an anatomical part or organ
2.a. an interruption in time or continuity ;break;
especially a period when something (as a program or activity) is
suspended or interrupted <after a 5-year hiatus from writing>
b. the occurrence of two vowel sounds without pause or intervening
consonantal sound
hiatus n. (pl. hiatuses) 1 a break or gap, esp. in a series, account, or chain of proof. 2 Prosody & Gram. a break between two vowels coming together but not in the same syllable, as in
though oft the ear. Derivatives: hiatal adj. Etymology: L, = gaping f. hiare gape
hiatus
A hiatus is a pause in which nothing happens, or a gap where something is
missing. (FORMAL)
Diplomatic efforts to reach a settlement resume today after a two-week hiatus...N-SING: usu with supp, oft N in/of n
hiatus
haɪˈeɪtəs n. (pl. hiatuses) 1 a break or gap, esp. in a series,
account, or chain of proof. 2 Prosody & Gram. a break between two
vowels coming together but not in the same syllable, as in though oft the
ear. øøhiatal adj. [L, = gaping f. hiare gape]
Hiatus \Hi*a"tus\, n.; pl. L. Hiatus, E. Hiatuses. [L., fr.
hiare, hiatum, to gape; akin to E. yawn. See Yawn.]
1. An opening; an aperture; a gap; a chasm; esp., a defect in
a manuscript, where some part is lost or effaced; a space
where something is wanting; a break.
2. (Gram.) The concurrence of two vowels in two successive
words or syllables. --Pope.
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