means A milky fluid produced by certain plants (most famously the rubber tree) that can be processed into rubber, or a synthetic emulsion used in paints, adhesives, and stretchy goods.

from From Latin 'latex,' meaning 'liquid' or 'fluid' — the same word Roman poets used for water, wine, or any flowing thing. It may be a cousin of the Greek 'latax,' a drop or dregs of wine. The word slept quietly as a poetic term for liquid until the 19th century, when botanists borrowed it for the sap that oozes from cut plants, and the rubber industry made it famous.