latent
/ˈleɪt(ə)nt
/adjective
1(Of a quality or state) existing but not yet developed or manifest; hidden or concealed: they have a huge reserve of latent talent...
- By the twentieth century the investigations of cognitive psychology had established creativity as a latent quality in every person, applicable to any field of human endeavour.
- If you'll excuse me, I have to go tell my wife and children about my latent homosexual qualities and accompanying gender confusion.
- This would release humankind from the drudgery of wage-slavery and release the latent talents of 3 billion people.
1.1 Biology Lying dormant or hidden until circumstances are suitable for development or manifestation: axillary buds or eyes in the leaf axils are latent growth buds...
- Cell proliferation and cell fate are controlled from dividing cell division centres (called meristems) or latent pluripotent stem cells within the cambium or pericycle.
- In grapevine, the current season's growth consists of shoots growing from latent buds produced during the previous cycle and made up of five to nine phytomers.
- In spring, when the plant is removed from winter storage, one to three branches will grow from the latent buds beneath the cuts.
1.2(Of a disease) not yet manifesting the usual symptoms: diabetes may be latent for some years before diagnosis the latent stage of syphilis...
- Elimination of tuberculosis in industrialized nations hinges on diagnosis and treatment of latent tuberculosis infection to prevent disease.
- Before initiating treatment of latent tuberculosis infection, physicians must ensure that active disease is not present.
- Very little is known regarding the usefulness of pyrazinamide and levofloxacin in the treatment of multidrug-resistant latent tuberculosis infection.
1.3 Physiology (Of a microorganism, especially a virus) present in the body without causing disease, but capable of doing so at a later stage, or when transmitted to another body.First, they stimulated the T-cells strongly enough to prompt the cell to express latent virus but not to trigger other cellular functions....
- Herpes zoster ophthalmicus occurs when reactivation of the latent virus in the trigeminal ganglia involves the ophthalmic division of the nerve.
- Herpes zoster results from reactivation of latent varicella zoster virus infection.
Derivatives
latency
/ noun ...- You did not explore all the alternative research approaches to yours in dealing with the problem of latency, which is the heart of your project.
- It also brings drive latency down to just two milliseconds.
- Length of follow up before determination of disease outcome varies and may not correspond to disease latency in humans
latently
- Each Loss Leader is divinely packaged, having been designed at no little expense by our latently talented art department.
- The authors conclude that continuous exposure to varicella virus through community contacts protects latently infected adults from developing clinical shingles.
- A person may remain latently infected and harbor the bacteria, in a non-growing or slow-growing form, for decades with no symptoms.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Latin latent- 'being hidden', from the verb latere.
The word latent comes from Latin latere ‘be hidden’.
Rhymes
- take someone aback
- take someone at their word
- take someone back
- take someone for a ride
- take someone in
- take someone in hand
- take someone in rear
- take someone into one's confidence
- take someone off
- take someone on
- take someone out
- take someone out of themselves
- take someone's breath away
- take someone's name in vain
- take someone/something in hand
- take someone's (or one's own) life
- take someone's point
- take someone's word (for it)
- take someone/thing by surprise
- take someone/thing out
- take someone/thing seriously
- take someone to law
- take someone to task
- take someone to the cleaners
- take someone to the woodshed