hiatus

/haɪˈeɪtəs/ (bre, ipa) · /haɪˈeɪtəs/ (ame, ipa) · /hī-ˈā-təs/ (ame, mw)

hiatus — noun

  • hiatussingular
  • hiatusesplural

1. a period of time when an activity, event, or process stops temporarily before st

1.名詞B2
釋義

a period of time when an activity, event, or process stops temporarily before starting again

例句

The TV show went on hiatus after the lead actor broke his leg in a skiing accident.

go + on hiatus — common collocation for shows/activities

After twelve years of teaching, Dr. Okafor took a hiatus to finish his research on tropical diseases.

take + a hiatus — common verb + noun collocation

同義詞
  • break

    shorter and more general; can be a few minutes, while hiatus usually lasts days or longer

  • pause

    implies a brief stop; hiatus sounds more deliberate and formal

  • gap

    focuses on the empty space in time or sequence, not the planned nature of the pause

反義詞

文法句型

hiatus + in [something]

on hiatus

take a hiatus

用法筆記

Often used with 'go on' (for planned pauses by people or organisations) or 'take a' (for individual decisions to pause). The preposition 'from' specifies what activity is paused.

常見錯誤

❌The show had a long hiatus of 6 years.
✅The show went on hiatus for six years.
💡'on hiatus' is the standard collocation for TV shows or bands.
❌There was a hiatus in the wall.
✅There was a gap in the wall.
💡'hiatus' describes a pause in time or activity, not a physical gap in an object (except in medical contexts).

2. a naturally occurring opening inside the body that allows organs, nerves, or blo

2.名詞C1
釋義

a naturally occurring opening inside the body that allows organs, nerves, or blood vessels to pass from one area to another

例句

The surgeon examined the esophageal hiatus in the diaphragm before closing the incision.

esophageal hiatus — specific anatomical term

Dr. Amara spotted an unusually wide hiatus in the pelvic bone on the CT scan images.

同義詞
  • opening

    general term; less precise than hiatus in medical contexts

  • passage

    focuses on the channel function; hiatus is the anatomical name for certain passages

  • foramen

    the more common medical term for a hole through a bone; hiatus is used for soft-tissue passages

文法句型

hiatus + in [body part]

anatomical hiatus

用法筆記

Almost entirely limited to medical and anatomical writing. In everyday speech, 'gap', 'opening', or 'passage' are used instead. The most common forms are named structures such as 'esophageal hiatus' and 'aortic hiatus'.

常見錯誤

❌The doctor found a hiatus in my arm.
✅The doctor found a gap in the muscle tissue.
💡'hiatus' in anatomy refers to specific named passages, not any general opening or injury.