hiatus

views updated Jun 27 2018

hi·a·tus / hīˈātəs/ • n. (pl. -tus·es) [usu. in sing.] a pause or gap in a sequence, series, or process: there was a brief hiatus in the war with France. ∎  Prosody & Gram. a break between two vowels coming together but not in the same syllable, as in the ear and cooperate.DERIVATIVES: hi·a·tal / -ˈātəl/ adj.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

hiatus

views updated Jun 08 2018

hiatus (hy-ay-tŭs) n. an opening or aperture. For example, the diaphragm contains hiatuses for the oesophagus and aorta. h. hernia see hernia.

A Dictionary of Nursing

hiatus

views updated May 17 2018

hiatus gap, chasm XVI; interruption of continuity XVII; break between two vowels XVIII. — L. hiātus gaping, opening, f. hiāre gape.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

hiatus

views updated May 08 2018

hiatus
1. A gap in a sedimentary succession.

2. The geologic-time interval represented by such a gap.

A Dictionary of Earth Sciences AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY

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