This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
hiatus
[ hahy-ey-tuhs ]
/ haɪˈeɪ təs /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun, plural hi·a·tus·es, hi·a·tus.
a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.
a missing part; gap or lacuna: Scholars attempted to account for the hiatus in the medieval manuscript.
any gap or opening.
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.
Anatomy. a natural fissure, cleft, or foramen in a bone or other structure.
QUIZ
QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"
"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."
Question 1 of 7
IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?
Origin of hiatus
1555–65; <Latin hiātus opening, gap, equivalent to hiā(re) to gape, open + -tus suffix of v. action
OTHER WORDS FROM hiatus
hi·a·tal, adjectiveWords nearby hiatus
H-hour, HHS, hi, Hialeah, hiatal hernia, hiatus, hiatus esophageus, hiatus hernia, hiatus saphenus, hiatus semilunaris, Hiawatha
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use hiatus in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for hiatus
hiatus
/ (haɪˈeɪtəs) /
noun plural -tuses or -tus
(esp in manuscripts) a break or gap where something is missing
a break or interruption in continuity
a break between adjacent vowels in the pronunciation of a word
anatomy a natural opening or aperture; foramen
anatomy a less common word for vulva
Derived forms of hiatus
hiatal, adjectiveWord Origin for hiatus
C16: from Latin: gap, cleft, aperture, from hiāre to gape, yawn
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medical definitions for hiatus
hiatus
[ hī-ā′təs ]
n. pl. hiatus
An aperture or fissure in an organ or a body part.
A foramen.
Other words from hiatus
hi•a′tal adj.The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.