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Glite Dictionary
⏸️ A break 📄 A missing part 🦴 A body opening
hiatus

hiatus

1 8.2
An opening in bone or membrane for a tube to pass through
  • noun
  • /haɪˈeɪtəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : hiato
  • The anatomy textbook explained the structure of the human hiatus in detail.

Examples

  • When examining the X-ray, the doctor pointed out the natural hiatus in the rib cage.

  • The surgeon was careful to avoid any damage to the hiatus during the operation.

  • (I attributed the hiatus to the extra distance my blood had to travel along my extended arteries.)

    Fiction book (2001)

  • While the results obtained after the laparoscopic treatment in giant hiatus hernia (type III) have been controverted.

    Academic text (2007)

  • The geniculate ganglion is located by identifying the greater petrosal nerve at the facial hiatus and following it posterolaterally with a small diamond drill and constant suction and irrigation.

    Academic text (2004)

Synonyms

gap
vshiatus
148 1.0

An open space between two things, like a pass in hills

is an internal anatomical passage through bone or membrane
foramen
vshiatus
  • Specialized
3 9.6

An opening in a bone that lets a nerve or blood vessel pass through

is a general natural passage not defined by passing nerves or vessels

Compounds

hiatus hernia
  • UK
1 6.2

Part of the stomach pushes up through the muscle under the lungs into the chest

Surface Forms

hiatus singular
hiatuses plural

Etymology

Hiatus comes from the Latin hiare, which means 'to open wide' or 'to gape'. In anatomy a hiatus is an 'opening' or gap in a body part, so the origin explains its literal sense.