infancy
infancy Lexical Profile
infancy Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The state or period of being an infant; very early childhood, typically before learning to walk and talk.
"Adequate nutrition during infancy is essential for healthy cognitive and physical development."
The earliest stage of development or existence of an idea, project, field, or institution.
"Quantum computing is still in its infancy, though researchers anticipate major breakthroughs in the coming decade."
In law, the state or period of being under the legal age of majority, during which a person lacks full legal capacity.
"The court ruled that the contract was voidable because the defendant had signed it during his legal infancy."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Latin infantia ('inability to speak, early childhood'), from infans ('unable to speak, young child'), composed of the privative prefix in- ('not') and fans, the present participle of fari ('to speak').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.