Ripen
/ˈɹaɪpən/ verb
verb ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Verb
- 1 to grow ripe; to become mature (said of grain, fruit, flowers etc.) intransitive
"Grapes ripen in the sun."
- 2 grow ripe wordnet
- 3 To approach or come to perfection. intransitive
"The acquaintance soon ripened into a warm attachment."
- 4 cause to ripen or develop fully wordnet
- 5 To cause (something) to mature; to make ripe transitive
"The warm sun ripened the corn."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To mature; to fit or prepare; to bring to perfection transitive
"ripen the judgment"
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"She watched the gardens grow, and she watched the apples turn red and ripen."
Etymology
From Middle English *ripenen, extended form of ripen, from Old English rīpian. In the modern form, equivalent to ripe + -en (inchoative and factitive suffix). As in several other verbs, the alteration seems to have occurred during the time when the infinitive and plural ending -en was in the process of being lost (and was thus open to reinterpretation). The earliest attestation is deverbal Middle English ripening (“causing ripeness, ripening”).