01 n. The state or quality of being latent.
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1.
The state or quality of being latent.“To simplify the discussion, I shall distinguish three degrees of this latency.” — Sir W. Hamilton.
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2.
The time between a stimulus the appearance of the response; the time between any causal action and the first appearance of the effect. Called also latent period. Also: latent period
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3.
The time between exposure to a carcinogen or other disease-causing agent and the appearance of the consequent disease.(Med.)