What is the Latin word for gap?

The usual Latin words for “gap” are lacūna, hiātus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“gap” in Latin

lacūnaa hole, pit, ditch; (especially) a pool, pond; a gap, void, defect, want, loss hiātusa hiatus, opening (especially of the mouth), gap, aperture, cleft; a longing, desire

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

gap

lacuna (a hollow; also, figuratively loss, damage, want, e.g., in property): hiatus (a larger opening, that may be compared to a yawning mouth): locus vacuus (an empty place). A gap left by anybody in a science, in treating of a matter, pars ab aliquo relicta: to fill up a gap, lacunam explere (both as to space and number; e.g., in anybody’s property, rei familiaris).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for gap?: The usual Latin words for “gap” are lacūna, hiātus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.