hiatus
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
hiatus /hʌɪˈeɪtəs/
▶noun (pl. hiatuses) a pause or gap in continuity.
■ Prosody & Grammar a break between two vowels coming together but not in the same syllable, as in the ear.
– derivatives
hiatal adjective.
hiatal adjective.
– origin C16: from L., lit. ‘gaping’.
'hiatus' also found in these Oxford entries:
