A pause or gap in a sequence, series, or process; a temporary break or interruption.
Borrowed directly from Latin 'hiatus' meaning 'gap, opening, aperture', from 'hiare' meaning 'to gape or yawn'. The word originally described physical openings before extending to temporal gaps. It entered English in the 16th century through scholarly Latin texts.
The word hiatus literally means 'to yawn' in Latin, which perfectly captures that feeling of emptiness or void during a break. TV shows go on hiatus, but so do geological formations - both involve a gap where something was expected to continue.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.