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Webster 1913 Edition


Mature

Ma-ture′

,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Maturer
;
sup
erl.
Maturest
.]
[L.
maturus
; prob. akin to E.
matin
.]
1.
Brought by natural process to completeness of growth and development; fitted by growth and development for any function, action, or state, appropriate to its kind; full-grown; ripe.
Now is love
mature
in ear.
Tennison.
How shall I meet, or how accost, the sage,
Unskilled in speech, nor yet
mature
of age?
Pope.
2.
Completely worked out; fully digested or prepared; ready for action; made ready for destined application or use; perfected;
as, a
mature
plan
.
This lies glowing, . . . and is almost
mature
for the violent breaking out.
Shakespeare
3.
Of or pertaining to a condition of full development;
as, a man of
mature
years
.
4.
Come to, or in a state of, completed suppuration.
Syn. – Ripe; perfect; completed; prepared; digested; ready.
Mature
,
Ripe
. Both words describe fullness of growth. Mature brings to view the progressiveness of the process; ripe indicates the result. We speak of a thing as mature when thinking of the successive stayes through which it has passed; as ripe, when our attention is directed merely to its state. A mature judgment; mature consideration; ripe fruit; a ripe scholar.

Ma-ture′

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Matured
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Maturing
.]
[See
Maturate
,
Mature
.]
To bring or hasten to maturity; to promote ripeness in; to ripen; to complete;
as, to
mature
one’s plans
.
Bacon.

Ma-ture′

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To advance toward maturity; to become ripe;
as, wine
matures
by age; the judgment
matures
by age and experience.
2.
Hence, to become due, as a note.

Webster 1828 Edition


Mature

MATU'RE

,
Adj.
[L. maturus; meto.]
1.
Ripe; perfected by time or natural growth; as a man of mature age. We apply it to a young man of mature age. We apply it to a young man who has arrived to the age when he is supposed to be competent to manage his own concerns; to a young woman who is fit to be married; and to elderly men who have much experience.
Their prince is a man of learning and virtue,
mature in years--
Mature the virgin was, of Egypt's race.
How shall I meet or how accost the sage,
Unskilled in speech, nor yet mature of age.
2.
Brought to perfection; used of plants. The wheat is mature.
3.
Completed; prepared; ready. The plan or scheme was mature.
This lies glowing, and is mature for the violent breaking out.
4.
Ripe; come to suppuration; as,the tumor is mature.

MATU'RE

,
Verb.
T.
[L. maturo.] To ripen; to hasten to a perfect state; to promote ripeness.
Prick an apple with a pin full of holes, not deep,and smear it with sack, to see if the virtual heat of the wine will not mature it.
1.
To advance towards perfection.
Love indulged my labors past,
Matures my present, and shall bound my last.

MATU'RE

,
Verb.
I.
To advance toward ripeness; to become ripe or perfect. Wine matures by age, or by agitation in a long voyage. The judgment matures by age and experience.

Definition 2024


mature

mature

See also: mâture

English

Adjective

mature (comparative maturer or more mature, superlative maturest or most mature)

  1. Fully developed; grown up in terms of physical appearance, behaviour or thinking; ripe.
    She is quite mature for her age.
  2. Profound; careful.
    The headmaster decided to expel the boy after a mature consideration.
  3. (obsolete) Come to, or in a state of, completed suppuration.

Antonyms

Translations

Verb

mature (third-person singular simple present matures, present participle maturing, simple past and past participle matured)

  1. (intransitive, of food, especially fruit) To become mature; to ripen.
  2. (intransitive) To gain experience or wisdom with age.
  3. (intransitive, finance) To reach the date when payment is due

Derived terms

  • mature up

Translations

Related terms


French

Etymology

Borrowing from Latin mātūrus. Doublet of mûr.

Adjective

mature m, f (plural matures)

  1. (of a person) mature

Italian

Adjective

mature f pl

  1. feminine plural of maturo

Anagrams


Latin

Adjective

mātūre

  1. vocative masculine singular of mātūrus

References


Portuguese

Verb

mature

  1. first-person singular present subjunctive of maturar
  2. third-person singular present subjunctive of maturar
  3. third-person singular imperative of maturar