Where does “latent” come from?

Latent comes from Middle English latent, from Old French latent, from Latin latens, the present participle of lateo, meaning to lie hidden, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European leh₂-, to hide.

latent (English): Existing or present but concealed or inactive;...

Definitions

  1. Existing or present but concealed or inactive;...

Ancestry of “latent”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishlatent—
2Old Frenchlatent—
3Latinlatenspresent active participle of lateō; invisible,...
4Latinlatereablative singular of latus; present active...

Words derived from “latent”

Every word from Latin latere →Every word from Latin latens →Every word from Old French latent →