Definition

1. Noun:
   • A pause or gap in a sequence, series, or process: A temporary break or interruption in the continuity of something.
   • A break in time or activity: An interval during which a particular activity or state ceases.
   • A gap or missing part in a text or manuscript: A place where something is missing, such as in a written work or historical record.
   • (Anatomy) A natural opening or fissure in an organ or tissue: A foramen or opening in a bone or membranous structure.

Usage Examples

• General Pause/Gap:
  • After a ten-year hiatus, the band reunited for a world tour.
  • There was a brief hiatus in the conversation before they resumed talking.
• Missing Part in a Text:
  • The ancient scroll contained a significant hiatus, making the story difficult to follow.
• Anatomy:
  • The sacral hiatus is an opening at the end of the sacral canal.

Advanced Usage

• "On hiatus": A common phrase describing a temporary suspension of an activity, especially in entertainment.
  • The popular TV show is currently on hiatus and will return next season.
• "Hiatus hernia": A medical condition where part of the stomach pushes up through the diaphragm.
  • He was diagnosed with a hiatus hernia.

Variants and Related Words

• Hiatal (adj): Pertaining to a hiatus, especially anatomical.
  • The patient underwent surgery for a hiatal hernia.
• Hiatuses (n): The standard plural form of "hiatus".

Synonyms

• Gap: An empty space or interval; a break in continuity.
• Interruption: An act of stopping or hindering a process or activity.
• Intermission: A pause or break, especially between acts of a performance.
• Lacuna: A gap or missing part, especially in a manuscript or text (more formal/literary).

Related Phrases

• Fill a hiatus: To provide what is missing in a sequence or argument.
  • The new evidence helped to fill the hiatus in the historical timeline.
• Return from a hiatus: To resume an activity after a break.
  • The author returned from her hiatus with a bestselling novel.

Notes on Meaning

• The core meaning of hiatus is a break in continuity. This can be applied to time (a pause in activity), physical space (a gap), or data (a missing piece).
• In linguistics, it can refer to the occurrence of two vowel sounds without an intervening consonant (e.g., "cooperate"), though this is a more specialized usage.

Noun

1. a natural opening or perforation through a bone or a membranous structure
2. a missing piece (as a gap in a manuscript)
3. an interruption in the intensity or amount of something