Existing or present but concealed or inactive. / (pathology, of a virus) remaining in an inactive or hidden phase; dormant.

(forensics) The residue left by a person's finger that can be made visible by a process such as powder dusting; a latent fingerprint.

In a latent manner / secretly / invisibly

plural of latent

The quality of being latent.

(physics) the heat that is released or absorbed accompanying a change of state or of phase

plural of latent variable

(statistics) A variable that is not directly measured but is inferred by means of a mathematical model from one or more directly observed variables.

plural of latent heat

A fingerprint that is not fully visible or analyzable but can be developed in laboratory conditions.