Hiatus

A Hiatus (from Latin hiatus, -us, m.: gap; cf. hiare, hio, hiavi (hisco); Greek (χαίνω) έ-χαν-ον, κέχηνα; Old High German ginēn; German 'gähnen' -> "yawn") is a suspension or interruption in the intensity or amount of something. In other contexts it may mean:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• A gap in geological strata
• A natural fissure in a bone (see Foramen).
• A small difference in pitch between two musical tones (see Interval (music))
• Hiatus (linguistics), a phonological term referring to the lack of a consonant separating two vowels in separate syllables, as in co-operation.