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Hiatus
Definitions
- 1 A gap in a series, making it incomplete. countable, uncountable
"Even the mechanical engineer comes at last to an end of his figures, and must stand up, a practical man, face to face with the discrepancies of nature and the hiatuses of theory."
- 2 a natural opening or perforation through a bone or a membranous structure wordnet
- 3 An interruption, break, pause or absence. countable, uncountable
"The band decided to go on hiatus, citing creative differences."
- 4 a missing piece (as a gap in a manuscript) wordnet
- 5 An temporary break from work, especially one which is unexpected. countable, uncountable
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- 6 an interruption in the intensity or amount of something wordnet
- 7 A gap in geological strata. countable, uncountable
"The beginning of the Mesozoic Era on the Colorado Plateau is marked by a regional hiatus or break of sedimentary deposition that lasted about 25 to 30 Ma."
- 8 An opening in an organ. countable, uncountable
"Hiatus aorticus is an opening in the diaphragm through which aorta and thoracic duct pass."
- 9 A syllable break between two vowels, without an intervening consonant. sometimes, uncountable
"A hiatus is agreeable to any Polynesian ear; the ear even of the stranger soon grows used to these barbaric voids; but only in the Marquesan will you find such names as Haaii and Paaaeua, when each individual vowel must be separately uttered."
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin hiātus (“opening”) (mid-16th century), from hiō (“stand open, yawn”).
See also for "hiatus"
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