What term describes the measure of time that packets are delayed during transmission?

The term that describes the measure of time that packets are delayed during transmission is latency. Latency refers to the total time it takes for a packet to travel from its source to its destination, which includes all delays along the way such as queuing, processing, and propagation delays. This is a critical measure in network performance, as higher latency can result in slower response times and can significantly impact applications that require real-time communication, like video conferencing or online gaming.

Throughput, while related, specifically refers to the amount of data successfully delivered over a network in a given amount of time, rather than the delay experienced. Bandwidth, on the other hand, is the maximum rate at which data can be transferred over a network path and does not indicate delays either. Overhead refers to the additional data that must be transmitted to manage and control the network traffic, which is separate from the concept of timing and delays in packet transmission.