expectancy

[ik-spek-tuh n-see] /ɪkˈspɛk tən si/
noun, plural expectancies.
1.
the quality or state of expecting; expectation; anticipatory belief or desire.
2.
the state of being expected.
3.
an object of expectation; something expected.
Also, expectance.
Origin
1590-1600; < Medieval Latin ex(s)pectantia. See expectant, -ancy
Can be confused
expectancy, expectation.
Examples from the web for expectancy
  • Average life expectancy, today at an all-time high, could in our generation increase ten more years.
  • At the court this night there is an air of expectancy among the nobles.
  • The children followed the proceedings with intense expectancy.
  • Already, people predict that this new generation's life expectancy may be lower than the previous.
  • These adjustments will take increased life expectancy into account, since beneficiaries will need to be supported longer.
  • For patients whose melanoma isn't caught early, the life expectancy is less than a year.
  • Life expectancy is increasing around the globe, too.
  • The phase change material can run through these thermal cycles indefinitely, easily outlasting the life expectancy of the garment.
  • Shelf life expectancy is tens of years, far exceeding any other energy storage system currently known.
  • Similarly, his figures for life expectancy correspond to those in the original sources.
British Dictionary definitions for expectancy

expectancy

/ɪkˈspɛktənsɪ/
noun
1.
something expected, esp on the basis of a norm or average: his life expectancy was 30 years
2.
anticipation; expectation
3.
the prospect of a future interest or possession, esp in property: an estate in expectancy
Word Origin and History for expectancy
n.

1590s, from Latin expectantia (see expectant) + -ancy.