Definition of latency

The word "latency" originates from Latin, where "latere" means "to lie hidden" or "to be concealed". The term was first used in the 15th century to describe a period of time during which something was hidden or concealed. In the 17th century, the word began to be used in a medical context to describe the period of time between the onset of a disease and its symptoms becoming apparent. In the 19th century, the term began to be used in a broader sense to describe the time period between the cause of an effect and the effect itself becoming apparent. This could apply to various fields, such as psychology (the time between a stimulus and a response), physics (the time it takes for a signal to propagate), or biology (the time between a gene mutation and its expression). In modern times, the term "latency" has become widely used in computing, telecommunications, and networking to describe the delay between the time data is sent and the time it is received.