Wiktionary

latent

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English latent, latente, from Old French latent, from Latin latēns, present participle of lateō (“lie hidden”).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈleɪ.tənt/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -eɪtənt

Adjective

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latent (not comparable)

  1. Existing or present but concealed or inactive.
    Synonyms: hidden, invisible
    Antonyms: apparent, patent, visible, active
    • 2020 August 12, Philip Haigh, “Scotland reveals 2035 decarbonisation strategy”, in Rail, page 12:
      There is known latent demand for rail freight and the rail freight industry is working with Scottish businesses to develop new rail freight services, as environmental concerns are beginning to change the logistics choices of Scottish producers.
  2. (pathology, of a virus) Remaining in an inactive or hidden phase; dormant.
    Synonyms: dormant; see also Thesaurus:inactive
    Antonym: active
    • 2008 July 2, Joe Palca, “Scientists Make Herpes Breakthrough”, abstract, All Things Considered, National Public Radio
      Those infected with a herpes virus are infected for life. That’s because the virus goes "latent." Sometimes, it awakes from its slumber, producing painful illnesses.
  3. (biology) Lying dormant or hidden until circumstances are suitable for development or manifestation.

Derived terms

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English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *leh₂- (2 c, 0 e)

Translations

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Noun

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latent (plural latents)

  1. (forensics) The residue left by a person's finger that can be made visible by a process such as powder dusting; a latent fingerprint.
    • 2001, Henry C. Lee, Timothy Palmbach, Marilyn T. Miller, Henry Lee's Crime Scene Handbook, →ISBN, page 383:
      Once the latent prints have been visualized by the superglue and powder dusting techniques, they should be photographed again. Then the developed latents need to be lifted and placed on backing cards. The latent cards are documented by putting the case number, date and time of lifting, initials of person processing the evidence, and a sketch indicating the location of the lifted latent print on the back of the lift card, as shown in Photo 6.6.
    • 2008, Jim Fisher, Forensics Under Fire, →ISBN:
      Paralegal workers do not argue cases in court, and these crimescene fingerprint gatherers do not compare crime-scene latents to known prints of suspects and present their findings in court.
  2. (statistics) An underlying cause that can be inferred from statistical correlations; factor.
    • 1975, Rudolph J. Rummel, Understanding Conflict and War, →ISBN:
      These kinds of latents define the invariant dispositional properties enabling prediction and control of the external environment. Finally, there are the latents that underlie manifestation as relationships of power, as cause to effect, condition to occurrence, or dependent variable to independent variable.
    • 2007, William Outhwaite, Stephen Turner, The SAGE Handbook of Social Science Methodology, →ISBN, page 166:
      That is, the observed covariance between indicator y1 and y3 would mirror the understandable causal behavior of the corresponding underlying latents.
    • 2009, Stanley A. Mulaik, Linear Causal Modeling with Structural Equations, →ISBN, page 209:
      If one were to compute the reproduced covariances among the latents of the structural model, they might be different from the covariances obtained between the same number of latents in the measurement model.
  3. Anything that is latent.
    • 2011, Javier Cumpa, Erwin Tegtmeier, Ontological Categories, →ISBN, page 158:
      Even if latents may not be actually detectable in any given situation, they may nevertheless be present in it. Latents may become actual if proper triggering conditions are in place, or they may be lost in the process.
    • 2016, Christa Wick, Alpha Curves: A BBW Shapeshifter Romance:
      After we discovered Leah and I realized what she was, the flood gates opened. More and more latents have been discovered, as well as cubs.

Anagrams

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Danish

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Etymology

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From German latent, from French latent, from Latin latens, present participle of latere (“to be hidden”).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /latɛnt/, [laˈtˢɛnˀd̥]

Adjective

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latent

  1. latent (existing or present but concealed or inactive)

Inflection

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Inflection of latent
Positive Comparative Superlative
Indefinte common singular latent — —2
Indefinite neuter singular latent — —2
Plural latente — —2
Definite attributive1 latente — —
1) When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding "indefinite" form is used.
2) The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

French

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Etymology

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From Latin latentem, present participle of lateo (“lie hidden”).

Adjective

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latent (feminine latente, masculine plural latents, feminine plural latentes)

  1. latent

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Anagrams

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German

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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latent (strong nominative masculine singular latenter, not comparable)

  1. latent

Declension

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Positive forms of latent (uncomparable)
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist latent sie ist latent es ist latent sie sind latent
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative latenter latente latentes latente
genitive latenten latenter latenten latenter
dative latentem latenter latentem latenten
accusative latenten latente latentes latente
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der latente die latente das latente die latenten
genitive des latenten der latenten des latenten der latenten
dative dem latenten der latenten dem latenten den latenten
accusative den latenten die latente das latente die latenten
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein latenter eine latente ein latentes (keine) latenten
genitive eines latenten einer latenten eines latenten (keiner) latenten
dative einem latenten einer latenten einem latenten (keinen) latenten
accusative einen latenten eine latente ein latentes (keine) latenten
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Further reading

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  • “latent” in Duden online
  • “latent” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Latin

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Verb

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latent

  1. third-person plural present active indicative of lateō

Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French latent, from Latin latens.

Adjective

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latent m or n (feminine singular latentă, masculine plural latenți, feminine and neuter plural latente)

  1. latent

Declension

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Declension of latent
singular plural
masculine neuter feminine masculine neuter feminine
nominative/
accusative 		indefinite latent latentă latenți latente
definite latentul latenta latenții latentele
genitive/
dative 		indefinite latent latente latenți latente
definite latentului latentei latenților latentelor

Swedish

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Adjective

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latent (not comparable)

  1. latent (existing or present but concealed or inactive)

Declension

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Inflection of latent
Indefinite Positive Comparative Superlative2
Common singular latent — —
Neuter singular latent — —
Plural latenta — —
Masculine plural3 latente — —
Definite Positive Comparative Superlative
Masculine singular1 latente — —
All latenta — —
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.
2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
3) Dated or archaic
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References

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