{"id":4564,"date":"2026-08-22T12:22:54","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T12:22:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=4564"},"modified":"2026-08-22T12:22:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T12:22:55","slug":"adventures-in-etymology-yawning-hiatus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=4564","title":{"rendered":"Adventures in Etymology &#8211; Yawning Hiatus"},"content":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Adventures in Etymology &amp;#8211; Yawning Hiatus\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2026-08-22T12:22:54+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT2M08S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"In this Adventure in Etymology we discover what links the word hiatus with yawning.\n\n\n\nA hiatus [ha\u026a\u02c8e\u026at\u0259s \/ h\u0250\u02c8ja\u02d0.t\u032a\u028as] is a gap in a series, making it incomplete; an interruption, break, pause or absence; a temporary break from work, especially on...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/yawninghiatus.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"2.2\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_8855\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-4564-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/yawninghiatus.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/yawninghiatus.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/yawninghiatus.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/yawninghiatus.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=4564-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/yawninghiatus.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"yawninghiatus.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>In this Adventure in Etymology we discover what links the word <strong>hiatus<\/strong> with <strong>yawning<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/steveguttman\/15561515715\/in\/photolist-2pNFZRZ-5YZe2w-91uDD-pH7Qt6-aGvsm4-XRV6qW-jcoLzn-bJC366-d2FWt\" title=\"Pause descending Inwood Hill. Chucho yawns.\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/3952\/15561515715_449fd98b21_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Pause descending Inwood Hill. Chucho yawns.\"\/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>A <strong>hiatus<\/strong> [ha\u026a\u02c8e\u026at\u0259s \/ h\u0250\u02c8ja\u02d0.t\u032a\u028as] is a gap in a series, making it incomplete; an interruption, break, pause or absence; a temporary break from work, especially one which is unexpected, and various other things.<\/p>\n<p>It comes from Latin <em>hi\u0101tus<\/em> (a hiatus, opening, gap, aperture, cleft, longing, desire), from <em>hi\u014d<\/em> (to yawn, gape, pause, be amazed), from Proto-Italic <em>*hi\u0101\u014d<\/em>, from PIE <em>*\u01f5\u02b0eh\u2082-<\/em> (to yawn, gape) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/hiatus#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Words from the same roots include <strong>zijati<\/strong> (to stare, gape, yawn) in Slovenian, <strong>ganar<\/strong> (to gain, earn, win) in Spanish, <strong>a c\u0103sca<\/strong> (to yawn, gape) in Romanian, <strong>g\u00edna<\/strong> (to gape) in Icelandic, and <strong>gain<\/strong>, <strong>gap<\/strong>, <strong>gape<\/strong>, <strong>gum<\/strong> and <strong>yawn<\/strong> in English [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European\/%C7%B5%CA%B0eh%E2%82%82-\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>The word <strong>chaos<\/strong> possibly also comes from the same PIE root. It was borrowed from Ancient Greek <em>\u03c7\u03ac\u03bf\u03c2<\/em> (kh\u1eafos &#8211; chaos, the primordial state of existence, space, air, abyss, chasm, infinite darkness), and is probably related to words like <em>*\u03c7\u03ac\u03dd\u03bf\u03c2<\/em> (kh\u00e1wos &#8211; hole, empty space, yawning opening) and <em>\u03c7\u03ac\u03c3\u03ba\u03c9<\/em> (kh\u00e1sk\u014d &#8211; to gape, yawn) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/chaos#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>The word <strong>gas<\/strong> also shares the same roots. It was coined by Dutch Chemist Jan Baptist van Helmont in 1648, and was derived from Ancient Greek <em>\u03c7\u03ac\u03bf\u03c2<\/em> (kh\u1eafos &#8211; chaos, etc). It was possibly also inspired by the Dutch word <em>geest<\/em> (ghost, spirit, mind), which is related to the English word <strong>ghost<\/strong> [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/gas#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/uk\/cgi-bin\/webscr?cmd=_flow&amp;SESSION=aLjPfXL-vP_1gQ_U23Iz8_hSWLlhzLHPMFZrt32dIEfG8htoNFLYaPoWkv8&amp;dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8def8934b92a630e40b7fef61ab7e9fe63\">PayPal<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/omniglot\">Patreon<\/a>, or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/donations.htm\">contribute to Omniglot in other ways<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with <a href=\"https:\/\/blubrry.com\/services\/podcast-hosting\/?code=omniglot\">Blubrry Podcast Hosting<\/a>, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code <strong>omniglot<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.japanesepod101.com\/member\/go.php?r=759259&amp;i=b0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/images\/banners\/banner_japanesepod.jpg\" alt=\"The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com\" width=\"630\" height=\"83\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/\">Omniglot Blog<\/a>, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/\">Celtiadur<\/a> blog.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-5001128073855040\"\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Blog horizontal --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5001128073855040\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"1685480124\"\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Adventures in Etymology &amp;#8211; Yawning Hiatus\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2026-08-22T12:22:54+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT2M08S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"In this Adventure in Etymology we discover what links the word hiatus with yawning.\n\n\n\nA hiatus [ha\u026a\u02c8e\u026at\u0259s \/ h\u0250\u02c8ja\u02d0.t\u032a\u028as] is a gap in a series, making it incomplete; an interruption, break, pause or absence; a temporary break from work, especially on...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/yawninghiatus.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"2.2\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_8856\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-4564-2\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/yawninghiatus.mp3?_=2\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/yawninghiatus.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/yawninghiatus.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/yawninghiatus.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=4564-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/yawninghiatus.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"yawninghiatus.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>In this Adventure in Etymology we discover what links the word hiatus with yawning. A hiatus [ha\u026a\u02c8e\u026at\u0259s \/ h\u0250\u02c8ja\u02d0.t\u032a\u028as] is a gap in a series, making it incomplete; an interruption, break, pause or absence; a temporary break from work, especially one which is unexpected, and various other things. It comes from Latin hi\u0101tus (a hiatus, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98,97,47,20,29,4,50,59,133,116,203,28],"tags":[482,90,485,484,480,9,167,15,88,8,103,481],"class_list":["post-4564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventures-in-etymology","category-ancient-greek-","category-dutch","category-english","category-icelandic","category-language","category-latin","category-proto-indo-european","category-proto-italic","category-romanian-limba-romana","category-slovenian-slovenscina","category-spanish","tag-chaos","tag-etymology","tag-gap","tag-gape","tag-hiatus","tag-language","tag-linguistics","tag-music","tag-omniglot","tag-podcast","tag-words","tag-yawn"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4564"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4564\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4567,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4564\/revisions\/4567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}