infancy

infancy
Minority; the state of a person who is under the age of legal majority,-at common law, twenty-one years; now, generally 18 years.
According to the sense in which this term is used, it may denote the condition of the person merely with reference to his years, or the contractual disabilities which non-age entails, or his status with regard to other powers or relations.
At common law, children under the age of seven are conclusively presumed to be without criminal capacity, those who have reached the age of fourteen are treated as fully responsible, while as to those between the ages of seven and fourteen there is a rebuttable presumption of criminal incapacity. Many states have made some change by statute in the age of criminal responsibility for minors.
In addition, all jurisdictions have adopted juvenile court legislation providing that some or all criminal conduct by those persons under a certain age (usually eighteen) must or may be adjudicated in the juvenile court rather than in a criminal prosecution.
See also child

Black's law dictionary. . 1990.

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  • infancy — in·fan·cy / in fən sē/ n pl cies 1: the legal status of an infant: minority 2: the affirmative defense of lacking legal capacity (as to make a contract or commit a crime) because of being too young and esp. because one s age is below an age set… …   Law dictionary

  • infancy — infancy, infant development Derived from the Latin word infans, meaning ‘unable to speak’, infancy is the earliest period in the human life span, usually taken to extend from birth through to the end of the first year. In demography, for example …   Dictionary of sociology

  • Infancy — In fan*cy, n. [L. infantia: cf. F. enfance. See {Infant}.] [1913 Webster] 1. The state or period of being an infant; the first part of life; early childhood. [1913 Webster] The babe yet lies in smiling infancy. Milton. [1913 Webster] Their love… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • infancy — infancy, minority, nonage denote the state or period of being under the age established by law for the attainment of one s full civil rights and independence of guardianship. Infancy is seldom used in this denotation outside of legal documents… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • infancy — (n.) late 14c., from Anglo Fr. enfaunce and directly from L. infantia early childhood, lit. inability to speak, from infantem (see INFANT (Cf. infant)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • infancy — ► NOUN 1) the state or period of early childhood or babyhood. 2) the early stage in the development or growth of something …   English terms dictionary

  • infancy — [in′fən sē] n. pl. infancies [LME < L infantia] 1. the state or period of being an infant; babyhood; very early childhood 2. the beginning or earliest stage of anything 3. Law the state or period of being a minor; period before the age of… …   English World dictionary

  • infancy — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ early ▪ The vaccination is given in early infancy. VERB + INFANCY ▪ survive, survive beyond ▪ Their first child did not survive infancy …   Collocations dictionary

  • infancy — /in feuhn see/, n., pl. infancies. 1. the state or period of being an infant; very early childhood, usually the period before being able to walk; babyhood. 2. the corresponding period in the existence of anything; very early stage: Space science… …   Universalium

  • infancy — [[t]ɪ̱nfənsi[/t]] 1) N UNCOUNT: usu poss N, prep N Infancy is the period of your life when you are a very young child. ...minute details of Deborah s infancy. ...the development of the mind from infancy onwards. 2) N UNCOUNT: usu in poss N If… …   English dictionary

  • infancy — n. first stage in one s infancy (the industry was still in its infancy) * * * [ ɪnfənsɪ] [ first stage ] in one s infancy (the industry was still in its infancy) …   Combinatory dictionary

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