latency

noun

la·​ten·​cy ˈlā-tᵊn(t)-sē 

plural latencies

1

: the quality or state of being latent : dormancy

latency is a characteristic common to all members of the troublesome herpes family

—Claudia Wallis

2

: something latent

writers who know how to evoke these latencies

—E. C. Lindeman

3

: a stage of psychosexual (see psychosexual sense 1) development following the phallic (see phallic sense 3) stage that extends from about the age of five or six to the beginning of puberty and during which sexual urges often appear to lie dormant

4

: latent period sense 2

Synonyms

• abeyance
• cold storage
• deep freeze
• doldrums
• dormancy
• holding pattern
• moratorium
• quiescence
• suspended animation
• suspense
• suspension

Examples of latency in a Sentence

the flower bulbs went from latency to full bloom in a matter of days

Word History

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing latency

• latency period

Medical Definition

latency

noun

la·​ten·​cy ˈlāt-ᵊn-sē 

plural latencies

1

or latency period or latent period

a

: the quality or state of being latent

especially : the state or period of living or developing in a host without producing symptoms

The cellular mechanisms by which viral latency is maintained or viral replication is induced is not known.

—Science

During this nonreplicating latent period, the virus' home is believed to be the ganglia of nerves serving the area where the herpes lesion initially appeared.

—The Journal of the American Medical Association

b

: the time or period between exposure to a disease-causing agent or process and the onset of symptoms or disease

In the worst cases, chronic active hepatitis develops and can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and finally to hepatocellular carcinoma. … Usually the cancer does not develop until after a 30- to 50- year latency period …

—Peter Tiollais and Marie-Annick Buenidia, Scientific American

2

usually latency period or latency stage : a stage of psychosexual development that follows the phallic stage and precedes the genital stage, extends from about the age of five or six to the beginning of puberty, and during which sexual urges often appear to lie dormant

3

or latent period : the time interval between application of a stimulus and the beginning of an identifiable response (such as muscle contraction) : reaction time