hiatus

UK: haɪˈeɪ.təs | US: haɪˈeɪ.t̬əs

Definition
  1. n. a pause or gap in a sequence, series, or process

  2. n. (anatomy) an opening or fissure in a bodily structure

  3. n. (linguistics) a break between two vowels coming together but not in the same syllable

Structure
hiat <gape>us <noun suffix>
Etymology

Derived from Latin hiatus (meaning "opening, gap"), from hiare ("to gape"). The word entered English in the 16th century, retaining its core sense of a physical or metaphorical gap. The anatomical and linguistic uses emerged later, reflecting specialized applications of the original concept.

Examples
  1. The TV show will go on a three-month hiatus before filming resumes.

  2. There was a noticeable hiatus in his academic career due to illness.

  3. The geologist studied the hiatus in the rock layers caused by erosion.

  4. In phonetics, a hiatus occurs when two vowels appear side by side without a consonant.

  5. The treaty negotiations hit a hiatus after the disagreement.