latency
n.the delay between when you do something and when you see the result. In technology, it usually refers to how fast data travels over a network.
n.the delay between a stimulus and a response, or the time elapsed between a command and its execution. Often refers to the lag in data transmission within a computer system or network.
“High latency makes online gaming very difficult.”
“The new fiber-optic cables significantly reduced the network latency for users in the remote office.”
“In medical diagnostics, the latency period refers to the interval between exposure to a pathogen and the first appearance of clinical symptoms.”
Uncountable when referring to the general concept of delay; countable when discussing specific measured intervals.
“The location of these large, windowless buildings filled with beeping servers and cables also became important to latency – the time it takes for data to travel from its source to its destination.”
“The test vehicle showed a bit of latency when playing music from my phone, with graphics from a prior track still displayed after the next track’s audio started.”
From latent + -ency.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.