What does hiatus mean?
Word: Hiatus
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Hiatus means a pause in an activity, when nothing happens for a while.
Synonyms: pause, gap
Word origin: From Latin hiatus, from the verb hiare.
How do you spell hiatus?
Syllables: hi - a - tus
Tricky part: The word ends in a plain us, but many students add an o and write ous, as if it were an adjective like famous.
Watch out for: hiatous, hiatis, hiatuss
Memory tip: It is a noun, like cactus and status, so it takes us and not the ous of adjectives.
Hiatus in a sentence
Example 1: Work on the metro line resumed after a two-month hiatus during the monsoon.
Example 2: The school magazine took a short hiatus during exam season.
Example 3: After a long hiatus, our street cricket league is back this summer.
Fun Fact
Language experts use hiatus for two vowel sounds said side by side in separate syllables, and the word itself contains an example.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Spies
Choose the pair which has a spelling error:
a) dearth : shortage
b) zenith : peak
c) hiaitus : break
d) vigour : energy
Show answer
c) hiaitus : break. No extra i belongs after the a in the word for a break.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
123456 TUHSIA
a) 351624
b) 536124
c) 356124
d) 356142
Show answer
c) 356124. The word for a pause keeps its i and a side by side, straight after the opening letter.
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
Hiatus comes from the Latin verb hiare. What does hiare mean?
a) to gape open
b) to wait patiently
c) to rest quietly
d) to stop walking
Show answer
a) to gape open. A hiatus is like an opening left in time.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
Three years without a single concert is a long ____ for any band.
a) harbinger
b) hamlet
c) hiatus
d) hubris
Show answer
c) hiatus. Three years away from music calls for the word that names a break.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A TV quiz show on hiatus is ____.
a) moving to a new host
b) ending for ever
c) shown twice a day
d) off the air for now
Show answer
d) off the air for now
2. For a choir, a hiatus would mean ____.
a) a month without any meetings
b) a tour of six different towns
c) a new set of songs to learn
d) a long rehearsal in a big hall
Show answer
a) a month without any meetings
