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latent period

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noun
  1. Also latency period. Pathology. the interval between exposure to a carcinogen, toxin, or disease-causing organism and development of a consequent disease.
  2. Physiology. the interval between stimulus and reaction.
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Origin of latent period

First recorded in 1830–40
Also called latency.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for latent period

latent period

noun
  1. the incubation period of an infectious disease, before symptoms appear
  2. another name for latent time
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
latent period in Medicine

latent period

n.
  1. The period elapsing between the application of a stimulus and the obvious response, such as the contraction of a muscle.
  2. The interval between exposure to an infectious organism or a carcinogen and the clinical appearance of disease.incubation period
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
latent period in Science

latent period

  1. The interval between exposure to an infectious organism or a carcinogen and the appearance of symptoms or signs of disease.
  2. The period elapsing between the application of a stimulus and the expected response, such as the contraction of a muscle.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.