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ma·ture (mə-tyr, -tr, -chr)
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adj. ma·tur·er, ma·tur·est
1.
a. Having reached full natural growth or development: a mature cell.
b. Having reached a desired or final condition; ripe: a mature cheese.
2. Having or showing characteristics, such as patience and prudence, considered typical of well-balanced adulthood: mature for her age.
3.
a. Suitable or intended for adults: mature subject matter.
b. Composed of adults: a mature audience.
4. Worked out fully by the mind; considered: a mature plan of action.
5. Having reached the limit of its time; due: a mature bond.
6. No longer subject to great expansion or development. Used of an industry, market, or product.
7. Geology Having reached maximum development of form. Used of streams and landforms.
v. ma·tured, ma·tur·ing, ma·tures
v.tr.
1. To bring to full development; ripen.
2. To work out fully in the mind: "able to digest and mature my thoughts for my own mind only" (John Stuart Mill).
v.intr.
1. To evolve toward or reach full development: The child's judgment matures as she grows older.
2. To become due. Used of notes and bonds.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin mātūrus; see mā-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

ma·turely adv.
ma·tureness n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.