Noun: hiatus hI'ey-tus
- An interruption in the intensity or amount of something
"There was a brief hiatus in the rainfall";
- suspension, respite, reprieve, abatement
- A missing piece (as a gap in a manuscript)
"The ancient text contained a hiatus where several pages had been lost"
- A natural opening or perforation through a bone or a membranous structure
"The optic nerve passes through the optic hiatus";
- foramen
Derived forms: hiatuses
Type of: break, gap, interruption, opening, piece
Encyclopedia: Hiatus