rift
n. countablen. a serious break in a relationship between people or groups. It can also mean a physical crack or opening in the ground.
n. a serious break in friendly relations between people or groups; also a physical crack, split, or fissure in a rock or the earth.
The argument caused a deep rift between the two brothers.
The political party struggled to heal the internal rift that formed during the leadership election.
Geologists monitored the widening rift in the valley, while social scientists studied the growing cultural rift between the urban and rural populations.
From Middle English rift, of North Germanic origin; akin to Danish rift, Norwegian Bokmål rift (“breach”), Old Norse rífa (“to tear”). More at rive.
From Old Norse rypta.
Often used metaphorically with 'between' to describe social or emotional distance.