LATENT

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Latin ~-, latens, from present participle of latēre to lie hidden; akin to Greek lanthanein to escape notice Date: 15th century present and capable of becoming though not now visible, obvious, active, or symptomatic , ~ly adverb Synonyms: see: ~ II. noun Date: 1923 a fingerprint (as at the scene of a crime) that is scarcely visible but can be developed for study