latent function

noun Sociology.

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

Nearby words

latent, latent allergy, latent ambiguity, latent content, latent diabetes, latent function, latent gout, latent heat, latent homosexuality, latent hyperopia, latent image

Compare manifest function.

Origin of latent function

First recorded in 1945–50

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019