Delitescency

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state of being intentionally concealed from perception leads to an essence of secrecy that involves remaining out of sight
2. A characteristic of being hidden suggests an existence marked by a lack of visibility or prominence
3. The condition of being deliberately hidden conveys an aspect of obscurity that encompasses both absence from view and a sense of secrecy

Etymology: Delitescency comes from the Latin verb "delitescere," meaning "to lie hidden" or "to lurk," built from "de-" (intensive, here meaning "thoroughly") and "latere," "to be concealed," the same root that gives English "latent" and "lurk." The Latin verb itself was rare, and its "-ency" noun form is a later English creation, so the word is a learned coinage rather than something that passed through everyday speech. Its most notable use in English is medical. In pathology, "delitescence" describes an inflammation that subsides and disappears without forming pus, ulceration or any other visible sign of its presence. Physicians adopted the Latin term for this quiet vanishing, and the "-cy" noun ending shifted the sense from the verb's action to the state of being hidden.