latency

American  

[layt-n-see] / ˈleɪt n si /

noun

• latencies
  plural

1. the state of being latent.

2. latent period.

3. Computers. the period of delay when one component of a hardware system is waiting for an action to be executed by another component.

4. Digital Technology. the time required online or in a network for the one-way or round-trip transfer of data between two nodes.

5. 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.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• latencies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of latency

First recorded in 1630–40; lat(ent) + -ency

Explanation

Latency is a noun referring to something inactive, dormant, or lying in wait. It’s the state of not being visibly active yet — like when you're hiding out and waiting to jump up and yell "Surprise!" Perhaps a little late, perhaps right on time, latency will wake up from its nap eventually. For a characteristic or skill to be in a period of latency, it does have to exist. So you should only use latency to describe your pitching ability if there is a fastball in you somewhere – otherwise, just admit you can’t pitch. If you’re in the lab, latency is also used to describe the period between a stimulus and a response.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

latency latencies

The team found that the processor could also become more capable by increasing the physical depth of its passive optical decoder without substantially increasing energy use or inference latency.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026

The location of these large, windowless buildings filled with beeping servers and cables also became important to latency – the time it takes for data to travel from its source to its destination.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Switching to the Sport drive mode eliminates the tip-in latency and allows the engine to sustain high revs longer before the transmission upshifts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

AMD’s approach focuses on throughput, or the number of tasks that can run at once, while Nvidia’s technique targets latency, or how quickly a task is done.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

There is, however, one presently known exception to the fact that a long period of latency is common to most malignancies.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

“We are investigating increased error rates and latencies for multiple AWS services in the US-EAST-1 Region,” AWS said on its website.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2025

“As technologies and networks advance, with better bandwidth and lower latencies, mobile devices will be able to download even higher-quality content,” said Panayiotis Gabrielides, a senior official at the telecom company involved in the project.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 8, 2023

"Consumers will experience gigabits-per-second throughputs and single-millisecond latencies," according to Verizon.

From The Verge ● Jul. 11, 2016

In low earth orbit, with relatively low latencies, telerobotic systems can accomplish a great deal through direct manipulation.

From Slate ● Oct. 23, 2015

Now I am well assured that if we could study not only the patencies but also the latencies of individuals of both sexes, we should find that they vary equally.

From Woman and Womanhood A Search for Principles by C. W. (Caleb Williams) Saleeby