noun
incubation period
Medical term for the time between exposure to a pathogen and the appearance of symptoms.
インフルエンザの潜伏期間は通常1日から4日です。
The incubation period for influenza is usually 1 to 4 days.
潜伏 means 'lying low' or 'hiding' in general, while 潜伏期間 specifically refers to the incubation period of a disease.
Compound of 潜伏 (latent, incubation) and 期間 (period). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is a straightforward medical compound.