n.
Pronunciation: h ī - ' ā -t ə s
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin, from hiare to yawn ― more at YAWN
Date: 1563
1 a : a break in or as if in a material object : GAP <the hiatus between the theory and the practice of the party ― J. G. Colton> b : a gap or passage in an anatomical part or organ
2 a : an interruption in time or continuity : BREAK especially : a period when something (as a program or activity) is suspended or interrupted <after a 5-year hiatus from writing> b : the occurrence of two vowel sounds without pause or intervening consonantal sound