fermata

"The burst of loneliness when, whether in conversation or lecture, a speaker pauses to search for a word, and you silently arrive at the word they want, and the speaker then settles on that very word, not without some relish, and the strange fermata quickly recedes in the wake of further talk, and you turn to watch it shrink against the horizon."
from: http://www.theawl.com/2010/10/varieties-of-things-that-one-rarely-bothers-to-mention-or-document

fermata

Music .

1. the sustaining of a note, chord, or rest for a duration longer than the indicated time value, with the length of the extension at the performer's discretion.

2. a symbol placed over a note, chord, or rest indicating a fermata.

Origin:
1875–80; < It: stop, pause, n. use of fem. of ptp. of fermare to stop < L firmāre to make firm.