infancy

American  

[in-fuhn-see] / ˈɪn fən si /

noun

plural

infancies

1. the state or period of being an infant; very early childhood, usually the period before being able to walk; babyhood.

2. the corresponding period in the existence of anything; very early stage.

   Space science is in its infancy.

3. infants collectively.

4. Law. the period of life to the age of majority, 21 years at common law but now usually 18; minority; nonage.

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infancy British  

/ ˈɪnfənsɪ /

noun

1. the state or period of being an infant; childhood

2. an early stage of growth or development

3. infants collectively

4. the period of life prior to attaining legal majority (reached at 21 under common law, at 18 by statute); minority nonage

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Etymology

Origin of infancy

From the Latin word infantia, dating back to 1485–95. See infant, -cy

Explanation

Infancy is the earliest part of a person's life, when they're a baby. It's extremely rare for anyone to remember their own infancy. An amazing amount of growth and development happens during infancy: babies learn to crawl, laugh, and communicate, among many other things. Infancy is vaguely defined, usually including the time from birth to about one year old. You can also use the word to mean "the very beginning of something," so if your lemonade stand is brand new, it's still in its infancy. The word comes from the Latin infantia, "early childhood," and literally, "inability to speak."

Example Sentences

Writer-director Lotfy Nathan’s inspiration is an apocryphal 2nd century text called the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, which purports to describe the incident-filled childhood of a temperamental Jesus.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2025

The first known appearance of “failure to thrive” was in the 1933 edition of a medical textbook, “The Diseases of Infancy and Childhood.”

From New York Times • May 13, 2024

She said the earliest text to mention Mary’s age is “The Infancy Gospel of James,” which she describes as “a clearly legendary text that is trying to expand on the gospel accounts.”

From Seattle Times • Nov. 10, 2017

‘The Infancy Narratives’ follows the life of Jesus from conception to his presentation in the temple at the age of 12.

From Time • Nov. 22, 2012

Infancy, Manumission, Marriage.—At common law a person is an infant until he is twenty-one years of age.

From The Clergyman's Hand-book of Law by Scanlan, Charles M.

Related Words

• inception