enfance

French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French enfance, borrowed from Latin īnfāntia, from īnfāns (“unable to speak”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ̃.fɑ̃s/

• Audio; “l'enfance”:

  (file)

Noun

enfance f (plural enfances)

1. (countable and uncountable) childhood

Derived terms

• centre de la petite enfance

Related terms

• enfant
• enfantin

Further reading

• “enfance”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin īnfāntia.

Noun

enfance oblique singular, f (oblique plural enfances, nominative singular enfance, nominative plural enfances)

1. childhood

Related terms

• enfant

Descendants

• French: enfance
• → Middle English: infancie, enfaunce, infancia, infancy, infaunce (in part)
  • English: infancy