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in infancy

in infancy

3 4.6
An early stage of development, like a new business or idea
  • idiom
translation icon : en sus inicios
  • The brain undergoes rapid changes during infancy, laying the foundation for future learning.
  • in infancy and childhood
  • lung function in infancy
  • function in infancy

Unfortunately, children die all the time in infancy.

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Examples

  • One parent mentioned that when one of her children died in infancy, there was no emotional support for her family.

    Academic text (2000)
  • At this time, there is not yet evidence that listening to music in infancy increases brain size in adults.

    Academic text (2000)
  • I got two sisters I never got to know because they died in infancy for want... want of a doctor.

  • So a human being has two fundamental needs apart from the physical needs in infancy, in childhood.

  • Only two of these children (the second and third to be born) died in infancy.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Austin might have borne a closer relation to his family had he not lost his only boy in infancy.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • To do this, she examines the emergence and development of the emotions in infancy.

    Academic text (2014)
  • The need for phenylalanine restriction in infancy and early childhood is clear.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Several studies have shown that iron deficiency causes changes in behavior and lowers development test scores in infancy.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Parents appeared to recognize their gifted child's potential early in infancy and to respond to that recognition by providing more stimulating environments.

    Academic text (1996)

Synonyms

embryonic
vsin infancy
  • Specialized
28 7.0

About the first stage of life inside an egg or the mother's body before birth

is used for any early development rather than only biological cases
embryonic state
vsin infancy
1 6.5

An early stage when an idea or plan is not yet developed

is the shorter general phrase without the added noun
inchoative
vsin infancy
  • Formal
9.9

Just beginning to develop or exist

is about being at an early stage rather than the very start

Antonyms

379 4.0

At a very high level of skill, knowledge, or development

91 3.5

To become fully grown or developed

How Developed

mature
64 3.4
in infancy
3 4.6
beginning
1.0

Surface Forms

in infancy main

Morphology

in + infancy

The meaning 'at an early stage in development' is directly and compositionally derived from the preposition 'in' combined with 'infancy' (initial phase), so a learner who knows both words can infer the phrase meaning. This locative + stage construction is cross-linguistically common and follows standard English composition patterns, making it readily understandable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The phrase in infancy comes from the simple image of a baby: when something is literally in infancy it is new and not fully grown. That's why it now means 'at an early stage' in the life or development of an idea, project, or thing.