DICT.TW Dictionary Taiwan

 Ma·ture a. [Compar. Maturer superl. Maturest.]
 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.   --Shak.
 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.
 Usage: -- 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·tur·er n. One who brings to maturity.
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