n. pl. hi·a·tus·es or hiatus
1. A gap or interruption in space, time, or continuity; a break: "We are likely to be disconcerted by . . . hiatuses of thought" (Edmund Wilson).
2. Linguistics A slight pause that occurs when two immediately adjacent vowels in consecutive syllables are pronounced, as in reality and naive.
3. Anatomy A separation, aperture, fissure, or short passage in an organ or body part.
[Latin hi
tus, from past participle of hi
re, to gape.]
hi·a
tal (-
t
l) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
It's an overrated month, anyway. But we shall return.
Update: July sucks, too.