latent variable

== English == === Etymology === The variables are latent (“hidden”) because they are not directly observed, but instead inferred from other variables. === Noun === latent variable (plural latent variables) (statistics) A variable that is not directly measured but is inferred by means of a mathematical model from one or more directly observed variables. 2002, Cavid J. Bartholomew, 1: Old and New Approaches to Latent Variable Modelling, George A. Marcoulides, Irini Moustaki (editors), Latent Variable and Latent Structure Models, 2012, page 1, The earliest use of latent variable ideas in time series appears to have been due to Wiggins (1973) but, as so often happens, it was not followed up. […] The basis for this remark can be explained by reference to a simple example which, at first sight, appears to have little to do with latent variables. ==== Synonyms ==== (variable not directly measured): hidden variable, hypothetical construct, hypothetical variable ==== See also ==== latent space