infancy

/'infənsi/

Thân thiện

A baby sleeps peacefully in a crib during infancy.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • The earliest period of childhood, especially before the ability to walk or talk: The state or condition of being an infant; babyhood.
   • An early stage in the development or existence of something: The beginning or earliest period of something.

Usage

• As a Subject or Object: "Infancy" is used as a noun. It can be the subject of a sentence, the object of a verb, or follow a preposition.
• Common Contexts: It is commonly used in contexts related to human development, law, and metaphorically for ideas, technologies, or fields of study.

Examples

• Referring to early childhood:
  • The vaccine is administered during infancy.
  • He has no memory of his infancy.
• Referring to an early developmental stage:
  • The project is still in its infancy.
  • Space tourism is in its infancy.

Advanced Usage

• "in its infancy": This is a common idiomatic phrase meaning something is very new and still developing.
  • The field of artificial intelligence was in its infancy just a few decades ago.
• Legal Term: In law, "infancy" can refer to the period of being a minor, before reaching the age of legal majority.
  • The contract was voidable due to the signatory's infancy.

Variants and Related Words

• Infant (n): A very young child or baby.
  • The infant slept peacefully.
• Infantile (adj): Characteristic of or occurring in infancy; also can mean childish in a negative sense.
  • infantile behavior (childish behavior)
  • infantile diseases (diseases of infancy)

Synonyms

• Babyhood: The period of time when one is a baby.
• Beginnings: The initial stage of something.
• Inception: The establishment or starting point of an institution or activity.

Antonyms

• Maturity: The state of being fully developed.
• Adulthood: The state or period of being an adult.

Related Phrases

• "From infancy to adulthood": Spanning the entire period of growth and development.
  • The study tracked the participants from infancy to adulthood.

Học thuật

Noun

1. the earliest state of immaturity
2. the early stage of growth or development

Từ đồng nghĩa

• babyhood
• early childhood