infancy

infancy — in·fan·cy / in fən sē/ n pl cies 1: the legal status of an infant: minority 2: the affirmative defense of lacking legal capacity (as to make a contract or commit a crime) because of being too young and esp. because one s age is below an age set… …   Law dictionary

infancy — infancy, infant development Derived from the Latin word infans, meaning ‘unable to speak’, infancy is the earliest period in the human life span, usually taken to extend from birth through to the end of the first year. In demography, for example …   Dictionary of sociology

Infancy — In fan*cy, n. [L. infantia: cf. F. enfance. See {Infant}.] [1913 Webster] 1. The state or period of being an infant; the first part of life; early childhood. [1913 Webster] The babe yet lies in smiling infancy. Milton. [1913 Webster] Their love… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

infancy — infancy, minority, nonage denote the state or period of being under the age established by law for the attainment of one s full civil rights and independence of guardianship. Infancy is seldom used in this denotation outside of legal documents… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

infancy — (n.) late 14c., from Anglo Fr. enfaunce and directly from L. infantia early childhood, lit. inability to speak, from infantem (see INFANT (Cf. infant)) …   Etymology dictionary

infancy — ► NOUN 1) the state or period of early childhood or babyhood. 2) the early stage in the development or growth of something …   English terms dictionary

infancy — [in′fən sē] n. pl. infancies [LME < L infantia] 1. the state or period of being an infant; babyhood; very early childhood 2. the beginning or earliest stage of anything 3. Law the state or period of being a minor; period before the age of… …   English World dictionary

infancy — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ early ▪ The vaccination is given in early infancy. VERB + INFANCY ▪ survive, survive beyond ▪ Their first child did not survive infancy …   Collocations dictionary

infancy — /in feuhn see/, n., pl. 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… …   Universalium

infancy — [[t]ɪ̱nfənsi[/t]] 1) N UNCOUNT: usu poss N, prep N Infancy is the period of your life when you are a very young child. ...minute details of Deborah s infancy. ...the development of the mind from infancy onwards. 2) N UNCOUNT: usu in poss N If… …   English dictionary

infancy — n. first stage in one s infancy (the industry was still in its infancy) * * * [ ɪnfənsɪ] [ first stage ] in one s infancy (the industry was still in its infancy) …   Combinatory dictionary