Main Entry: hi·a·tus

Pronunciation: \hī-ˈā-təs\

Function: noun

Etymology: Latin, from hiare to yawn — more at yawn

Date: 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