infancy
UK: ˈɪnfənsi | US: ˈɪnfənsi
n. the early stage of development or growth (especially of a child or concept)
n. the legal status of a minor; childhood
n. (figuratively) the initial phase of something
infancy = infant<child> + cy<noun suffix>
- infant (from Latin infans "young child," literally "unable to speak," from in- "not" + fari "to speak")
- -cy (noun-forming suffix indicating state or condition, from Latin -cia/-tia)
Etymology Origin:
The word traces back to Latin infantia, combining infans (a child too young to speak) and the abstract noun suffix -ia. Over time, infancy expanded from strictly denoting early childhood to metaphorically describe the nascent stage of anything (e.g., "the infancy of technology"). The suffix -cy evolved via Old French -cie, preserving the core idea of a "state of being."
Human brains develop rapidly during infancy.
The project is still in its infancy and requires more research.
In Roman law, infancy ended at age seven.
Space exploration was in its infancy in the 1960s.
The company’s infancy was marked by financial struggles.