mature

mature

See also: mâture and maturé

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /məˈtjʊə/, /məˈt͡ʃʊə/, /məˈt͡ʃɔː/

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /məˈt͡ʃʊ(ə)ɹ/, /məˈt͡ʃɝ/, /məˈt(j)ʊəɹ/
• Rhymes: -ʊə(ɹ), -ɜː(ɹ), -ɔː(ɹ)

Etymology 1

From late Middle English mature, from Middle French mature, from Latin mātūrus. Doublet of maduro. Partially displaced ripe, from Old English rīpe (“ripe, mature”).

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.

   The excellent mature eggplants grown in the garden plot are quickly being being picked up by family and friends.

2. Brought to a state of complete readiness.

   a mature plan

3. Profound; careful.

   The headmaster decided to expel the boy after a mature consideration.

4. (medicine, obsolete) Come to, or in a state of, completed suppuration.
5. (television, film) Suitable for adults only, due to sexual themes, violence, etc.

   mature content

Synonyms

• (grown up in terms of physical appearance): adult, grown; see also Thesaurus:full-grown
• (grown up in terms of behaviour or thinking): adultish, grown up; see also Thesaurus:mature
• (suitable for adults only): adult; see also Thesaurus:for adults

Antonyms

• (grown up): childish, immature
• (profound): superficial

Derived terms

• maturation
• maturely
• matureness
• maturity
• sexually mature

Translations

fully developed

Arabic: نَاضِج‎ (nāḍij), رَاشِد‎ (ar) (rāšid), مُعَتَّق‎ (muʿattaq) Hijazi Arabic: عاقل‎ (ʿāgil), كبير‎ (kabīr) Armenian: հասուն (hy) (hasun) Basque: heldu Catalan: madur (ca) Chamicuro: chelti Chinese: Mandarin: 成熟 (zh) (chéngshú), 成長／成长 (zh) (chéngzhǎng) Czech: dospělý (cs), zralý (cs) Esperanto: matura (eo) Finnish: kypsä (fi) French: mûr (fr), mature (fr) Galician: maduro (gl) Georgian: მომწიფებული (momc̣ipebuli) German: reif (de), gereift (de) Gothic: 𐍆𐌿𐌻𐌻𐌰𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍃 (fullaweis) Greek: ώριμος (el) (órimos) Hungarian: érett (hu) Irish: foirfe Italian: maturo (it) Japanese: 成熟 (ja) (せいじゅく, seijuku), 成熟した (ja) (せいじゅくした, seijuku-shita), 円熟した (ja) (えんじゅくした, enjuku-shita), 十分成長した (ja) (じゅうぶんせいちょうした, jūbun seichō-shita) Latin: mātūrus Malayalam: പക്വത (ml) (pakvata) Manx: appee Maori: pakeke Middle English: mature Norwegian: voksen (no), moden (no) Old English: rīpe Polish: dojrzały (pl) Portuguese: maduro (pt) Romanian: matur (ro) Russian: зре́лый (ru) (zrélyj), взро́слый (ru) (vzróslyj), развито́й (ru) (razvitój) Scottish Gaelic: abaich, inbheach (adult) Slovak: dospelý (sk), zrelý Spanish: maduro (es), (cheese, bacon etc.) curado (es) Swedish: mogen (sv) Tocharian B: śrāy Turkish: olgun (tr), yetişkin (tr), ergin (tr), erişkin (tr), reşit (tr), kamil (tr) Ukrainian: зрі́лий (zrílyj) Welsh: aeddfed (cy)

brought to a state of complete readiness

German: ausgereift (de)

profound; careful

Catalan: madur (ca), raonat Finnish: huolellinen (fi), syvällinen (fi) French: mûr (fr) m, mûre (fr) f Galician: maduro (gl) German: reiflich (de) Greek: ώριμος (el) (órimos) Hungarian: megfontolt (hu), átgondolt (hu), alapos (hu), kiérlelt Malayalam: പക്വം (ml) (pakvaṃ) Russian: зре́лый (ru) (zrélyj), разу́мный (ru) (razúmnyj), проду́манный (ru) (prodúmannyj) Spanish: maduro (es) Swedish: mogen (sv) Ukrainian: зрі́лий (zrílyj)

suitable for adults only

German: (nur) für Erwachsene Hungarian: felnőtt- (hu), nagykorúaknak szánt/szóló

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Dutch: (please verify) volwassen (nl) Irish: (please verify) abúil, (please verify) críonna

Etymology 2

From Middle English maturen, from Middle French maturer (“to mature”), from Latin mātūrō.

Verb

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

1. (intransitive) To proceed toward maturity: full development or completion (either of concrete or of abstract things, e.g. plans, judgments, qualities).
   • 1797, Mr. Harrison, “A Biographical Sketch of Hogarth”, in The Comick Magazine‎, volume 1, London: Harrison and Co., page 3:

     […] his originality, in the mean time, was maturing to perfection.

   Synonyms: develop, grow, progress, ripen

2. (intransitive, of food, especially fruit) To attain maturity, to become mature or ripe.
   • 1670, Evelyn, John, chapter 35, in Sylva, or, A Discourse of Forest-trees, London, page 246:

     […] Trees […] have alwayes Fruit upon them, ripe, or preparing to mature;

   Synonyms: ripen, ripen up

3. (transitive) To bring (something) to maturity, full development, or completion.
   • 1667, Milton, John, Paradise Lost‎, book 1, lines 659-660:

     […] But these thoughts
     Full Counsel must mature:

   • 1768, Hoole, John, Cyrus: A Tragedy‎, act I, London: T. Davies, page 12:

     […] much it now
     Imports they should be still deceiv’d, till time
     Matures our enterprize;

   • 1853, Gaskell, Elizabeth, Cranford, New York: Harper, Chapter 13, p. 262,:

     […] I did not interrupt her, I was so busy maturing a plan I had had in my mind for some days […]

   • 1953, Saul Bellow, chapter 8, in The Adventures of Augie March, New York: Viking Press, OCLC 279587, page 143:

     […] the long clean groove of her upper lip was ready to go into motion, as if she were going to break her silence with something momentous and long-matured; explain love to me, perhaps.

4. (transitive) To make (something, e.g. fruit) ripe or mature.
   • 1782, Cowper, William, “Charity”, in Poems‎, London: J. Johnson, page 202:

     […] a ship well freighted with the stores
     The sun matures on India’s spicy shores,

   • 2009, Findlay, Hugh, Practical Gardening, Vegetables and Fruits‎:

     There are certain vegetables like the tomato which require a long period to mature the fruit, and these must be started several weeks before the frosts have passed.

   Synonym: ripen

5. (intransitive, of a person) To proceed toward or become mature or full-grown, either physically or psychologically; to gain experience or wisdom with age.

   Synonyms: age, develop, grow up; see also Thesaurus:to age

6. (transitive) To make (someone) mature.
   • 1776, Cowley, Hannah, The Runaway‎, London: Prologue:

     Then Tom shall have his kite, and Fan new dollies,
     Till time matures them for important follies.

   • 1970, Davies, Robertson, chapter 2, in Fifth Business‎, part 6, Toronto: Macmillan, page 103:

     […] what I most wanted was time to grow up. The war had not matured me;

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:make older

7. (intransitive, finance) To reach the date when payment is due.

   When the bond matures, the full face value is payable to its bearer.

Synonyms

• maturate

Derived terms

• maturable
• mature up

Translations

to become mature; to ripen

Arabic: نَاضِج‎ (nāḍij) Hijazi Arabic: عقل‎ (ʿigil), استوى‎ (astawa) Bulgarian: узрявам (bg) (uzrjavam) Catalan: madurar (ca) Dutch: rijpen (nl), volwassen worden Finnish: kypsyä (fi) French: mûrir (fr), arriver à maturité, (cheese) s'affiner (fr) German: reifen (de) Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐍅𐍂𐌹𐍃𐌵𐌰𐌽 (gawrisqan) Hungarian: megérik (hu) Irish: aibigh Italian: maturare (it) Korean: 숙성되다 (sukseongdoeda) Latin: mātūrescō Portuguese: amadurecer (pt), madurar (pt) Spanish: madurar (es) Swedish: mogna (sv) Turkish: olgunlaşmak (tr), erginleşmek (tr), oldurmak (tr), tekamül etmek, vadesi gelmek (tr)

to gain experience or wisdom with age

Catalan: madurar (ca) Finnish: kypsyä (fi) French: mûrir (fr), devenir mature Hungarian: érik (hu), megérik (hu) Ido: adulteskar (io) Spanish: madurar (es) Swedish: mogna (sv)

to bring (something) to maturity, full development, or completion

Hungarian: kiérlel Korean: 숙성시키다 (sukseongsikida)

to make (something, e.g. fruit) ripe or mature

German: reifen lassen Hungarian: érlel (hu), megérlel (hu) Korean: 숙성시키다 (sukseongsikida)

to reach the date when payment is due

Catalan: vèncer (ca) Dutch: vervallen (nl) Finnish: erääntyä (fi) French: arriver à échéance German: fällig werden Hungarian: esedékes lesz, esedékessé válik, lejár (hu) Spanish: (intransitive) vencer (es)

Anagrams

• tamure

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French

Etymology

From Middle French mature, borrowed from Latin mātūrus. Doublet of mûr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma.tyʁ/

• Audio

  (file)

• Audio (Switzerland)

  (file)

• Homophones: maturent, matures

Adjective

mature (plural matures)

1. (of a person) mature

Verb

mature

1. inflection of maturer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

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

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Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈtu.re/
• Rhymes: -ure
• Hyphenation: ma‧tù‧re

Adjective

mature f pl

1. feminine plural of maturo

Anagrams

• murate, mutare, muterà, tamurè

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Latin

Adjective

mātūre

1. vocative masculine singular of mātūrus

Adverb

mātūrē (comparative mātūrius, superlative mātūrissimē)

1. early, speedy, ripe, mature, mellow, timely, seasonable

References

• “mature”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “mature”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• mature in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
• mature - Latin is Simple Online Dictionary

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Middle English

Etymology 1

From Middle French mature and its etymon Latin mātūrus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈtiu̯r(ə)/, /maːˈtiu̯r(ə)/

Adjective

mature (rare, Late Middle English)

1. mature (ripe)
2. mature (careful)

Descendants

• English: mature

References

• “mā̆tūre, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Noun

mature

1. Alternative form of matere

Verb

mature

1. Alternative form of maturen

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Portuguese

Verb

mature

1. inflection of maturar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative