hiatusnoun/haɪˈeɪtəs/

• 1

  A gap in a series, making it incomplete.

  • 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

  An interruption, break, pause or absence.

  • The band decided to go on hiatus, citing creative differences.
  • It is wonderful that you should have slipped back into your American life so easily after your English hiatus.
• 3

  An temporary break from work, especially one which is unexpected.

• 4

  geographygeologynatural-sciencesA gap in geological strata.

  • 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.
• 5

  anatomymedicinesciencesAn opening in an organ.

  • Hiatus aorticus is an opening in the diaphragm through which aorta and thoracic duct pass.
• 6

  human-scienceslinguisticsphoneticsA syllable break between two vowels, without an intervening consonant.

  • 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.