Word of the Week: latent (LAY-tent).
Hidden, unawakened, or dormant. Something is present, but not visible. From the Latin latere, to lie hidden. I have seen horror movies involving latent alien seed pods. I love discovering latent talent. “What we want is not more little books about Christianity, but more little books by Christians on other subjects—with their Christianity latent” —C.S. Lewis.
Related words: lateral (appearing from the side), lateral thinking (the solving of problems by a new and creative approach), latent period (the time between exposure to a virus or other agent and the appearance of symptoms).
Q&A
Question: Do authors still receive royalties when their books are used in prisons?
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Write Well to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.