noun, plural la·ten·cies.
- the state of being latent.
- latent period.
- Computers. the period of delay when one component of a hardware system is waiting for an action to be executed by another component.
- Digital Technology. the time required online or in a network for the one-way or round-trip transfer of data between two nodes.
- Digital Technology. (in virtual reality and other types of simulation) the discrepancy between the time delay of stimulus and response in the simulation as compared to the real-world equivalent.
n.1630s, “condition of being concealed,” from latent + -cy. Meaning “delay between stimulus and response” is from 1882; computer sense (latency time) is from 1954. n.
- The state of being latent.
- In conditioning, the period of apparent inactivity between the time the stimulus is presented and the moment a response occurs.
- latency period