Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “hiatus” come from?

Hiatus comes from Latin hiatus, the past participle of hiāre (to gape or open), derived from Proto-Italic hiāō and Proto-Indo-European ǵʰeh₁y-, meaning to yawn or open.

hiatus (English): A gap in a series, making it incomplete; An...

Definitions

  1. A gap in a series, making it incomplete; An...

Ancestry of “hiatus”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinhiātus—
2Latinhiō—
3Proto-Italichiāō—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰh₁i-eh₂-to gape, be wide open
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰeh₁y-to yawn, gape; to gape, be wide open; to gape,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰih₁-—

Words derived from “hiatus”

  • hiatic
  • prehiatus
  • antihiatic
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰih₁- →