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mature

Syllabification: (ma·ture)

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Definition of mature

adjective (maturer, maturest)

  • 1fully developed physically; full-grown:she was now a mature woman owls are sexually mature at one year mature trees
  • having reached an advanced stage of mental or emotional development characteristic of an adult:a young man mature beyond his years
  • (of thought or planning) careful and thorough:on mature reflection he decided they should not go
  • used euphemistically to describe someone as being middle-aged or old:Miss Walker was a mature lady when she married
  • (of a style) fully developed:Van Gogh’s mature work
  • (of certain foodstuffs or drinks) ready for consumption.
  • 2denoting an economy, industry, or market that has developed to a point where substantial expansion and investment no longer takes place.
  • 3(of a bill) due for payment.

verb

[no object]
  • 1(of an organism) become physically mature:children mature at different ages the trees take at least thirty years to mature she matured into a woman
  • (of a person) reach an advanced stage of mental or emotional development:men mature as they grow older
  • (with reference to certain foodstuffs or drinks) become or cause to become ready for consumption: [no object]:leave the cheese to mature [with object]:the Scotch is matured for a minimum of three years
  • 2(of an insurance policy, security, etc.) reach the end of its term and hence become payable.

Derivatives

maturely

adverb

Origin:

late Middle English: from Latin maturus 'timely, ripe'; perhaps related to matins

mature in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of mature in the British & World English dictionary