infancyin‧fan‧cy /ˈɪnfənsi/ noun [uncountable] 
In the past, many children died in infancy.2the time when something is just starting to be developed: the infancy of radio broadcasting Genetic engineering is still in its infancy.
Longman Language Activatorthe time when someone is a child
· Since childhood Margot had longed to be a dancer.· Steven had happy memories of his childhood on the farm.childhood illness/experiences/dream etc (=that you have when you are a child) · Of course, I had all the usual childhood illnesses, like measles and mumps.· It was his childhood dream to play professional baseball.early childhood · Much of my early childhood was spent with my aunt in California.
formal while someone is a baby or a very young child - use this especially to talk about children dying or getting diseases: · Three of her children died in infancy.
new ideas or ways of doing things new ideas or ways of doing things that did not exist before or had not been thought of before: · Does anyone have any new ideas?new ways/methods of doing something: · The hospital is doing a lot of research into new ways of treating asthma.· It's vital that we find new methods of producing and conserving energy.
completely different from anything that has been thought of before: original idea/design/style: · My job is to think up creative and original advertising ideascompletely original: · Woolf's writing was completely original - nothing like it had ever been done before.· a jazz musician with a completely original stylehighly original: · I was impressed by the highly original design of the house.
a revolutionary idea, method, or invention is completely different from anything that existed before, and is likely to bring important changes or improvements: · Einstein's revolutionary theories made people look at the universe in a completely new way.· revolutionary technology for producing cheap, pollution-free energy· The new treatment for cancer is considered revolutionary.
an innovative design, idea, plan etc is new, different and better than those that existed before, and shows a lot of imagination: · The city has introduced an innovative system of traffic control.· When it was first introduced, the electric car was described as one of the ten most innovative products of the year.highly innovative: · The idea for the programme 'Big Brother' was highly innovative.
something such as a new idea, method, or system that has never been thought of before, especially one that is better than previous ones: · The kids-only Internet service is a great innovation which will help parents control their children's access to the Internet.technological innovations: · All the latest technological innovations of cinema were used to create the special effects.communication/software etc innovations: · What exactly will the impact of all these communication innovations be?
a fresh idea, approach etc is new and different from previous ones, and may help to deal with a problem: · We need a fresh approach to this problem.· The negotiations won't make any progress unless one of the sides puts forward fresh proposals.· Toy manufacturers are always on the lookout for fresh ideas.
a novel idea, method etc is new and interesting because it is unexpected and different from what has existed before: · Scientists have come up with a novel way of catching fish.· Tonight's TV news will be presented in a novel format.· I spent six months living in a monastery in northern India, which was a novel experience.
something that is interesting because it is new and unusual, especially when this makes people think it is not very serious: · Retail analysts say that electronic shopping remains a novelty for most peopleit is a novelty for somebody to do something: · It was a novelty for people at college to see a student with two kids.be something of a novelty (=seem new and unusual): · Fast-food restaurants like McDonald's are still something of a novelty in Moscow.
pioneering work, research, efforts etc introduce completely new ways of doing things, which are later followed and developed by other people: · Moore's pioneering work on semiconductors has made him perhaps the most famous figure in Silicon Valley.· Pioneering research shows that the experiences of childhood help form the brain's circuits for music and maths, language and emotion.
if a science or a new area of knowledge or study is in its infancy , people have just begun to find out more about it, to work with it etc: · The science of cybernetics is still in its infancy.· These rockets were built at a time when space technology was in its infancy.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Genetic engineering is still in its infancy.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
1the period of a child’s life before they can walk or talkin infancy Genetic engineering is still in its infancy.· In my case the signs were apparently unmistakable even in my early infancy.
VERB· They had two sons and five daughters, two of whom died in infancy.· He fathered eight children, two of whom died in infancy.· Two of their five sons and one of their four daughters died in infancy.· Several children were born to the couple, but all of them died in infancy.· Their two children died in infancy.· Of 23 children with the disease studied worldwide in 1987, 15 died in infancy.· They had one son and a daughter who died in infancy.
· Most of these babies, put out to wet nurses, failed to survive infancy.· Poor children who survived infancy were predictably shorter and thinner than others and the differential widened as they grew older.· Two younger brothers did not survive infancy.· No information survives about Charles's infancy.
In the past, many children died in infancy.2the time when something is just starting to be developed: the infancy of radio broadcasting Genetic engineering is still in its infancy.