latency period

American  

noun

1. Psychoanalysis. the stage of personality development, extending from about four or five years of age to the beginning of puberty, during which sexual urges appear to lie dormant.

2. Pathology. latent period.

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latency period British  

noun

1. psychoanal a period according to Freud, from the age of about five to puberty, when sexual interest is diminished

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latency period Cultural  

1. According to psychoanalysis, the period in a child's development, from about age four to about age twelve, during which sexual drives are sublimated (see sublimation). Psychoanalytic theory holds that all other stages of a child's development (the anal stage, the oral stage, the genital stage or the Oedipus complex stage, and puberty) are dominated by the gratification of primarily sexual drives. During the latency period, children generally identify with the parent of the same sex and play with other children of the same sex.

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Etymology

Origin of latency period

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Because of the long latency period for those diseases, symptoms can take decades to develop.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 28, 2023

However, with data indicating Omicron is less likely to cause severe illness than its previously dominant Delta cousin, it’s possible the latency period may be shorter this time.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2022

There are three additional ways in which science could help open campuses safely: testing campus wastewater, batch testing and exploiting the latency period of the virus.

From New York Times • Jun. 13, 2020

Asbestos, like many environmental carcinogens, has a long latency period.

From Reuters • Dec. 14, 2018

The fact of the double object selection which is essentially due to the effect of the latency period, becomes most significant for the disturbance of this terminal state.

From Three Contributions to the Theory of Sex by Brill, A. A. (Abraham Arden)