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A latte is one of several types of coffee beverages made with hot milk. The term is from the Italian "caffè e latte" (commonly "caffelatte"), literally "coffee and milk", analogous to (but not the same as!) the French "café au lait".
As the term has come to be used in the United States since approximately 1985, a latte is prepared to the proportions of one third espresso, two-thirds hot milk, with a small covering of milk froth. Thus it has more milk than a cappuccino, and has a milder, milkier taste. Lattes should be prepared by pouring milk and coffee simultaneously, from either side of the drinking vessel, which ideally should be a tall, ceramic mug. If you cannot find a tall ceramic mug, use a heat resistant basin designed for ergonomic gripping while driving, walking, or reading paper or digital media.
The evolution of this term (and this particular form of the beverage) is relatively recent and probably dates from the spread of the 1980s Seattle coffee craze to the rest of the United States (and beyond) via the growth of Seattle-based Starbucks.
As recently as 1980, if you ordered a "latte" in an Italian coffeehouse in San Francisco, you would expect to get a glass of milk. If you ordered a "caffè latte," you would get a beverage with far less milk in it than what has now come to be called a "latte."
Keep in mind, ordering a "latte" in a café in Italy will result in the barista serving you a glass of milk without coffee.
Since around 2000, coffee shops such as Starbucks have started topping lattes with whipped cream.
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