infancy

American  

[in-fuhn-see] / ˈɪn fən si /

noun

infancies plural

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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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• infancies
  plural

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

Quantum machines are in their infancy and while many companies are racing to build a scalable computer, nobody is known to have succeeded yet.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

More companies entering the robotics space could mean less business for Tesla down the road even though the robotics race is still in its infancy.

From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026

“Historically, the most transformative industries, in their infancy, were the wild wild west,” said the president’s son, Eric Trump, who has co-founded two crypto companies.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

The last time these councils were up for election, Reform was in its infancy, so it's only possible for the party to win majority control in areas where all seats are being contested.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

As of 1920, about 13 out of every 100 black children died in infancy, or roughly 20,000 children each year—compared to 28 people who were lynched in a year.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

Related Words

• inception