latent
present but hidden or not yet active
Root
- latere: lie hidden or be concealed
Other words with the latere root
- latency: a hidden delay before something responds
Latent means lying hidden: the thing is there, but it has not shown itself yet.
The argument revealed a latent tension that everyone had politely ignored.
Latent is useful because it separates absent from hidden. A latent ability, risk, illness, or conflict already exists; it is waiting below the surface.