noun pl. hiatuses -·tuses or hiatus -·tus

1. a break where a part is missing or lost, as in a manuscript; gap in a sequence; lacuna
2. any gap or interruption, as in continuity or time
3. Phonet. a slight pause in pronunciation between two successive vowels in adjacent words or syllables, as between the sounds represented by the successive e's in he entered and reenter

Etymology: L, pp. of hiare, to gape < IE base *ĝhē-, ĝhēi- > gap, gasp