ˈlāt ə nsē, -si noun
( -es )
Etymology: latent (I) + -cy
1.
a. : the quality or state of being latent : dormant condition
sprung from latency into expression — H.B.Alexander
b. : something that is latent
writers who know how to evoke these latencies — E.C.Lindeman
2. : the state or period of living and developing in a host without producing symptoms — used of an infective agent or disease
3. or latency period : a stage of personality development variously explained as cultural or biological in origin which extends from about the age of five to the beginning of puberty and during which sexual urges often appear to lie dormant
children in latency — G.S.Blum
4. : reaction time
the latency of the reflex wink … is notably short — R.S.Woodworth