• Latent heat, the amount of energy released or absorbed by a substance during a change of phase
• A latent geologic fault
• Latent bud, a bud in some plants that remains a bud until favourable conditions appear
• Virus latency, the "quiet" or dormant stage of life of a virus
• Latent fingerprint
• Latent Recordings, a record label
• Latent variable

Latency can refer to:

• Latency (engineering), a time delay between the moment something is initiated and the moment its first effect begins
• Latency (audio), the time delay in digital audio systems due to analog to digital conversions, processing and conversion back to analog
• The Latency, pop rock band from Maple Ridge, British Columbia
• Memory latency and SDRAM latency, the amount of time a computer needs to wait to get data from RAM
• Input lag, the latency between using an input device and the result being displayed
• Communication lag or latency, the time taken for a packet of data to be sent by an application, travel and be received by another application
• The latency stage in child sexuality
• Clinical latency or incubation period, the time between exposure to a pathogenic organism, or chemical or radiation, and when symptoms and signs are first apparent
• Dormancy