GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English
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Found 3 definitions
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Mature (?), a. [Compar. Maturer (?); superl. Maturest.] [L. maturus; prob. akin to E. matin.]
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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.
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Now is love mature in ear. Tennison.
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How shall I meet, or how accost, the sage,
Unskilled in speech, nor yet mature of age? Pope.
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2. Completely worked out; fully digested or prepared; ready for action; made ready for destined application or use; perfected; as, “a mature plan”.
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This lies glowing, . . . and is almost mature for the violent breaking out. Shak.
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3. Of or pertaining to a condition of full development; as, “a man of mature years”.
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4. Come to, or in a state of, completed suppuration.
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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.
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Mature (?), v. 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.
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Mature, v. i.
1. To advance toward maturity; to become ripe; as, “wine matures by age; the judgment matures by age and experience.”
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2. Hence, to become due, as a note.
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