Hiatus

Main Entry: hi·a·tus
Pronunciation: hI-'A-t&s
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin, from hiare - to yawn
1 a : a break in or as if in a material object
1 b : an aperture or fissure in an organ or a body part.
2 a : an interruption in time or continuity; especially : a period when something (as a program or activity) is suspended or interrupted, for example a temporary suspension of this blog due to the birth of my firstborn child, Aurélie.
2 b : the occurrence of two vowel sounds without pause or intervening consonantal sound