See Also: Latent(medicine)
latent(dictionary)
latent(dictionary)
latent virus(medicine)
latent typhoid(medicine)
latent tetany(medicine)
latent syphilis(medicine)
latent stage(medicine)
latent schizophrenia(medicine)
latent zone(medicine)

latent (iou)



latent adjective & noun. LME.
[Latin latent- pres. ppl stem of latere lie hidden: see -ENT.]
A. adjective.
Hidden, concealed; present or existing, but not manifest, exhibited, or developed. (Now esp. of a quality, formerly also of a material thing.) Opp. patent. LME.
M. L. King Often white liberals are unaware of their latent prejudices. A. Fraser Troubles..had certainly brought out in him virtues which might otherwise have remained latent.
b. That is really but not overtly what is implied by the noun; disguised. M17.
Z. Tomin I suppose that at best I am a very latent bisexual.
Medicine. Of a disease: in which the usual symptoms are not (yet) manifest. L17.
Of a fingerprint: of a kind not normally visible to the naked eye. E20.
Special collocations: latent ambiguity Law a doubt as to the meaning of a document, not patent from the document itself, but raised by the evidence of some extrinsic and collateral matter. latent energy = potential energy s.v. POTENTIAL adjective. latent heat: required to convert a solid into a liquid, or a liquid into a vapour, without change of temperature. latent image Photography the invisible image formed in a photographic emulsion by exposure and rendered visible by development. latent learning Psychology: that has taken place without any incentive (such as rewards or punishments) and is not manifested until there is a goal to be achieved. latent partner: whose name does not appear as a member of a firm or company. latent period: between a stimulus and a response, esp. (a) Medicine between infection (or exposure to radiation) and the manifestation of symptoms; (b) Physiology between a stimulus (as the arrival of a nerve impulse) and the response. latent root Math. an eigenvalue of a matrix. latent virus: causing no apparent disease in one organism but capable of doing so when transmitted to another.
b. noun. A latent fingerprint. E20.
latently adverb M16.
latentness noun M17.