infancy
Americannoun
-
the state or period of being an infant; very early childhood, usually the period before being able to walk; babyhood.
-
the corresponding period in the existence of anything; very early stage.
Space science is in its infancy.
-
infants collectively.
-
Law. the period of life to the age of majority, 21 years at common law but now usually 18; minority; nonage.
noun
-
the state or period of being an infant; childhood
-
an early stage of growth or development
-
infants collectively
-
the period of life prior to attaining legal majority (reached at 21 under common law, at 18 by statute); minority nonage
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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."
Vocabulary lists containing infancy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
Baby Acer, who was born during a Covid lockdown, died from Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy in Surrey in 2021.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2023
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
If you want to know a good book on Physiology, or the Laws of Health and of Life, get Dr. Combe's Physiology; and let all you mothers get his delightful Management of Infancy.
From Health Five Lay Sermons to Working-People by Brown, John
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
