How much passes through in a given time. Throughput and latency are different questions and are constantly confused.
A compound of through, Old English þurh (through), and put, of uncertain further origin; how much passes through in a given time was coined to be measured against a separate question, latency, that is constantly confused with it.
How much passes through in a given time. It answers a different question from latency, and the two are constantly mistaken for each other.