hiatus Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an interruption in the intensity or amount of something
    reprieve; suspension; abatement; respite.
  2. noun a missing piece (as a gap in a manuscript)
  3. noun a natural opening or perforation through a bone or a membranous structure
    foramen.

WordNet

Hi*a"tus noun
Etymology
L., fr. hiare, hiatum, to gape; akin to E. yawn. See Yawn.
Wordforms
plural L Hiatus, E Hiatuses
Definitions
  1. An opening; an aperture; a gap; a chasm; esp., a defect in a manuscript, where some part is lost or effaced; a space where something is wanting; a break.
  2. (Gram.) The concurrence of two vowels in two successive words or syllables. Pope.

Webster 1913