hiatus

Noun
Synonyms: suspensionrespitereprieveabatementforamen

WordNet 3.0

Noun (3)

  1. an interruption in the intensity or amount of somethingSynonyms: suspensionrespitereprieveabatement
  2. a missing piece (as a gap in a manuscript)
  3. a natural opening or perforation through a bone or a membranous structureSynonyms: foramen
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Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Hiatus \Hi*a"tus\, n.; pl. L. Hiatus, E. Hiatuses. [L., fr. hiare, hiatum, to gape; akin to E. yawn. See Yawn.]

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. [1913 Webster]

2.(Gram.) The concurrence of two vowels in two successive words or syllables. --Pope. [1913 Webster]

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