latent function

American

noun

Sociology.

any function of an institution or other social phenomenon that is unintentional and often unrecognized.

Etymology

Origin of latent function

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

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latent function

The researchers said the list appeared to be a latent function that the app’s chat and file transfer function was not actively using.

From New York Times ● Jan. 18, 2022

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023