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latency

LAY-tuhn-see /ˈleɪtənsi/

nounC1GREGMAT

technicalacademic

The delay between the initiation of a physical action and the occurrence of its corresponding digital result; in networking, the time it takes for data to travel from source to destination.

Often measured in milliseconds (ms). Low latency is highly desirable in gaming because it means the game responds instantly to player inputs.

The story behind the word. Originally used in medicine and psychology to describe the period of time between a stimulus and a response (where the response is 'lying hidden'). In the mid-20th century, computer scientists adopted the term to describe the delay in reading or writing data.

Word relationships

delay: 'Delay' is a general term for any holdup, while 'latency' is a precise technical term for the inherent time lag in data transmission.
ping: 'Ping' is the network utility or signal used to measure latency, whereas 'latency' is the actual time delay itself.

Commonly confused with

lag: 'Latency' is the technical measurement of delay, while 'lag' is the visible, often frustrating symptom of high latency experienced by the player.

Word family

latent (adjective): Existing but not yet developed or manifest; hidden.

Collocations

low latency
network latency
input latency
latency issues

Example sentences

"High network latency can make fast-paced action games nearly unplayable, as inputs are delayed by several fractions of a second." A technical analysis of a cloud gaming service.

Memory hook

Latency is the time a command spends 'laying' around before the action actually happens. Latency is the late-ness of your connection.

When not to use

Do not confuse with 'bandwidth', which is the volume of data that can be sent over a connection, not the speed of its travel.

Fun facts

In competitive esports, professional players often use monitors with a latency of just 1 millisecond to gain a split-second advantage.