— maturely , adv. — maturement , n. — matureness , n. — maturer , n.
/meuh toor", -tyoor", -choor", -cherr"/ , adj., maturer, maturest , v. , matured, maturing .
adj.
1. complete in natural growth or development, as plant and animal forms: a mature rose bush.
2. ripe, as fruit, or fully aged, as cheese or wine.
3. fully developed in body or mind, as a person: a mature woman.
4. pertaining to or characteristic of full development: a mature appearance; fruit with a mature softness.
5. completed, perfected, or elaborated in full by the mind: mature plans.
6. (of an industry, technology, market, etc.) no longer developing or expanding; having little or no potential for further growth or expansion; exhausted or saturated.
7. intended for or restricted to adults, esp. by reason of explicit sexual content or the inclusion of violence or obscene language: mature movies.
8. composed of adults, considered as being less susceptible than minors to explicit sexual content, violence, or obscene language, as of a film or stage performance: for mature audiences only.
9. Finance. having reached the limit of its time; having become payable or due: a mature bond.
10. Med.
a. having attained definitive form or function, as by maturation of an epithelium from a basal layer.
b. having attained the end stage of a normal or abnormal biological process: a mature boil.
11. Geol. (of a landscape) exhibiting the stage of maximum topographical diversity, as in the cycle of erosion of a land surface.
v.t.
12. to make mature; ripen, as fruit or cheese.
13. to bring to full development: His hard experiences in the city matured him.
14. to complete or perfect.
v.i.
15. to become mature; ripen, as fruit or cheese.
16. to come to full development: Our plans have not yet matured.
17. Finance. to become due, as a note.
[ 1400-50; late ME maturus ripe, timely, early; akin to MANES, MATUTINAL ]
Syn. 1, 3. aged, grown, adult. 2. See ripe. 5. ready, prepared. 12, 15 . age, develop.
Ant. 1, 3. childish, raw, green, young.