infancy

English

Etymology

From Middle English infancie, from Latin īnfantia (“infancy, early childhood; childishness”), equivalent to infant +‎ -cy.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪnfənsi/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

infancy (countable and uncountable, plural infancies)

1. The earliest period of childhood (crawling rather than walking).
2. The state of being an infant.
3. (figurative) An early stage in the development of anything.

   Space tourism is still in its infancy.

   • 1941 May, Voyageur, “The Clogher Valley Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 195:

     It was in November, 1932, in an endeavour to reduce working costs, that the first diesel railcar was introduced, and it was a far-sighted move on the part of Mr. D. N. McClure, for diesel propulsion on railways was then more or less in its infancy.

4. (law) The state of being a minor.

Synonyms

(earliest period of childhood):

• infanthood
• babyhood

(state of being an infant):

• babyship

(state of being a minor):

• infanthood

Derived terms

• infancy gospel
• severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy

 

Translations

earliest period of childhood

• Bulgarian: ра́нно де́тство n (ránno détstvo)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 嬰兒期／婴儿期 (zh) (yīng'érqī, yīng'érqí), 幼兒期／幼儿期 (zh) (yòu'érqī, yòu'érqí)

• Finnish: vauvaikä (fi), varhaislapsuus (fi)
• German: Säuglingsphase f, frühe Kindheit f
• Italian: prima infanzia f
• Japanese: 乳児期 (にゅうじき, nyūjiki)
• Korean: 유아기(幼兒期) (ko) (yuagi)
• Latin: īnfantia f
• Middle English: infancie
• Russian: младе́нчество (ru) n (mladénčestvo), ра́ннее де́тство n (ránneje détstvo)

state of being an infant

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: lapsuus (fi); vauvaikä (fi)
• German: frühe Kindheit f
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: dergûşî (ku) n

• Latin: īnfantia f
• Middle English: infancie
• Russian: младе́нчество (ru) n (mladénčestvo), ра́ннее де́тство n (ránneje détstvo)
• Tagalog: kasanggulan

early state in development

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: alkuvaihe (fi)
• German: Anfangsphase (de) f
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: dergûşî (ku) n

law: state of being minor

• Bulgarian: непълноле́тие n (nepǎlnolétie)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: alaikäisyys (fi)
• Persian: صغیر (fa) (sağir)
• Russian: несовершенноле́тие (ru) n (nesoveršennolétije)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Telugu: ^{(please verify)} శైశవము (te) (śaiśavamu), ^{(please verify)} పసితనం (pasitanaṁ)

Middle English

Noun

infancy

1. Alternative form of infancie