latent period n
1) the period between exposure to a disease-causing agent or process and the appearance of symptoms <the latent period between exposure to a tumorigenic dose of radioactivity and the appearance of tumors>
2) LATENCY (3) <smooth muscle has a longer latent period than striated muscle>
* * *
(in neurology) the pause of a few milliseconds between the time that a nerve impulse reaches a muscle fibre and the time that the fibre starts to contract.
* * *
a seemingly inactive period, such as that between exposure to an infection and manifestation of symptoms (incubation p.) or between the presentation of a stimulus and the response (latency, def. 2).Medical dictionary. 2011.