Dictionary Definition
hiatus
Noun
1 an interruption in the intensity or amount of
something [syn: suspension, respite, reprieve, 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]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Etymology
hiatus#Latin, from hio#Latin.Pronunciation
- /haɪˈeɪtəs/, /haI"eIt@s/
-
- Rhymes: -eɪtəs
Noun
- A break or pause.
- A gap in a series, making it incomplete.
-
- A syllable break between two vowels, without an intervening consonant. (Compare diphthong.)
- The condition of having such a break.
- Words like reality and naïve contain vowels in hiatus.
- A gap in geological strata.
- A fissure in a bone.
- A small difference in pitch between two musical tones.
- A vacation.
Synonyms
- break (1)
Translations
A break or pause
- Finnish: tauko, keskeytys
- German: Lücke
- Greek: παύση (páfsi)
- Japanese: 中断 (ちゅうだん, chūdan)
- Russian: перерыв
- Spanish: pausa
A gap in a series, making it incomplete
A syllable break between two vowels, without an
intervening consonant
The condition of having such a break
A gap in geological strata
- Spanish: hiato
A fissure in a bone
- Russian: трещина, надлом
- Spanish: hiato
A small difference in pitch between two musical
tones
- Spanish: hiato
A vacation
- Finnish: loma
- Spanish: vacaciones, descanso
Extensive Definition
Hiatus may refer to:
- A break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc. (See recess)
- Hiatus (anatomy), a natural fissure in a structure
- A small difference in pitch between two musical tones (see Interval (music))
- Hiatus (linguistics), a phonological term referring to the lack of a consonant separating two vowels in separate syllables, as in co-operation
- Hiatus (television), a break of several weeks in television scheduling
- Hiatus (band), a Belgian crustcore band
- A euphemism for unemployment
- "Hiatus" (30 Rock episode), an episode of the television series 30 Rock
hiatus in Catalan: Hiat
hiatus in German: Hiatus
hiatus in Spanish: Hiato
hiatus in Esperanto: Hiato
hiatus in French: Hiatus
hiatus in Galician: Hiato
hiatus in Dutch: Hiaat
hiatus in Polish: Hiatus
hiatus in Russian: Зияние
hiatus in Slovak: Hiát
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
aperture, arrearage, breach, break, broaching, caesura, cavity, cessation, chasm, check, clearance, clearing, cleft, crack, defalcation, defect, deficiency, deficit, disclosure, discontinuity, distance
between, double space, em space, en space, fenestra, fissure, fistula, fontanel, foramen, freeboard, gap, gape, gat, gulf, hair space, half space,
hole, hollow, inlet, interim, intermediate space,
intermission,
interruption,
interspace, interstice, interval, jump, lack, lacuna, laying open, leak, leap, leeway, letup, lull, margin, missing link, need, omission, opening, opening up, orifice, outage, outlet, passageway, pause, pore, room, shortage, single space,
slot, space, space between, split, stoma, suspension, throwing open,
time interval, ullage,
uncorking, unstopping, want, wantage, yawn