Ma*ture" (?), a.
[Compar. Maturer (?);
superl. Maturest.] [L. maturus; prob.
akin to E. matin.]
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. -- 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*ture" (?), 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.
Ma*ture", v. i. 1.
To advance toward maturity; to become ripe; as, wine
matures by age; the judgment matures by age and
experience.
2. Hence, to become due, as a note.
