latent period

noun

Also latency period. Pathology. the interval between exposure to a carcinogen, toxin, or disease-causing organism and development of a consequent disease.

Physiology. the interval between stimulus and reaction.

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. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for latent period

latent period

noun

the incubation period of an infectious disease, before symptoms appear

another name for latent time

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.

The period elapsing between the application of a stimulus and the obvious response, such as the contraction of a muscle.

The interval between exposure to an infectious organism or a carcinogen and the clinical appearance of disease.incubation period

latent period in Science

latent period

The interval between exposure to an infectious organism or a carcinogen and the appearance of symptoms or signs of disease.

The period elapsing between the application of a stimulus and the expected response, such as the contraction of a muscle.