Latency
Etymology
From Latin latens, the present participle of latere, "to lie hidden" (also behind "latent"). The original sense is of something lurking out of sight. Modern computing narrowed one branch of the word to mean the hidden delay between a request and its response — the hidden time it takes.
noun · /LAY-tun-see/
The state of being present but hidden or not yet active, or the delay before something responds.
What it names
Either a quality lying concealed and waiting to emerge, or, in technical use, the lag between a trigger and its effect.
Example
The trauma showed a long latency, surfacing only years later when a similar situation triggered it.
Related idea
Dormancy implies a formerly active thing now resting; latency implies a hidden potential that may never have acted yet — a latent talent has simply not shown itself.