Etymology Explorer › Latin

Where does “hiatus” come from?

hiatus (Latin) comes from Latin hiō, from Proto-Italic hiāō, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰh₁i-eh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰeh₁y-, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰih₁-.

Ancestry of “hiatus”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinhiō—
2Proto-Italichiāō—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰh₁i-eh₂-to gape, be wide open
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰeh₁y-to yawn, gape; to gape, be wide open; to gape,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰih₁-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰih₁- →