latency.

1. The time delay between an initiating event and its response or visible effect.

2. A period or condition in which something exists without becoming active or apparent.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• network latency
• signal latency

On the page

Signal latency made conversation with the outer station awkward.

The pilot compensated for the display’s latency.

Usage notes

Primary category: sci-fi. Forms: Usually uncountable; latencies for measured delays. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.