Dictionary

ripen en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈɹaɪpən/

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”).

Meanings

1. (intransitive) Of grain, fruit, flowers, etc., to grow ripe; to become mature.
   • […] the desert soil of the Great Basin is as rich in the elements that in rainy regions rise and ripen into food as that of any other State in the Union. 1918, John Muir, chapter XII, in Steep Trails:
   • Grapes ripen in the sun.
2. (intransitive) To approach or come to perfection.
   • The acquaintance soon ripened into a warm attachment. 1861, E. J. Guerin, Mountain Charley, page 7:
3. (transitive) To cause (something) to mature; to make ripe.
   • The warm sun ripened the corn.
4. (transitive) To mature; to fit or prepare; to bring to perfection.
   • ripen the judgment
   • When Faith and Love which parted from thee never Had ripen'd thy just soul to dwell with God 1673, John Milton, When Faith and Love which parted from thee never:
   • But the decline of Rome was the natural and inevitable effect of immoderate greatneſs. Proſperity ripened the principle of decay; the cauſes of deſtruction multiplied with the extent of conqueſt; and as ſoon as time or accident had removed the artificial ſupports, the ſtupendous fabric yielded to the preſſure of its own weight. The ſtory of its ruin is ſimple and obvious; and instead of enquiring why the Roman empire was deſtroyed, we ſhould rather be ſurprised that it had ſubſiſted ſo long. 1781, Edward Gibbon, “General Observations on the Fall of the Roman Empire in the West”, in The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, volume III, London: […] W[illiam] Strahan; and T[homas] Cadell, […], →OCLC, page 631:

Forms

Deriveds

overripen · ripening · unripening · underripened · enripen · antiripening · unripened · ripener · ripen up · ripeningly · postripening

Relateds

ripeness

Translations (116)

oc madurar (to approach or come to perfection) · mnc ᡠᡵᡝᠮᠪᡳ (to grow ripe) · pt madurar (to grow ripe) · ar نَضَجَ (to grow ripe) · fr amener à maturité (to bring to perfection) · be спець (to grow ripe) · fi tuleentua (to grow ripe) · rup coc (to grow ripe) · hu érik (to grow ripe) · ga aibigh (to cause to mature; to make ripe) · az dəymək (to grow ripe) · ky бышуу (to grow ripe) · alt быжар (to grow ripe) · sh zreti (to grow ripe) · cs dozrát (to grow ripe) · sah бус (to grow ripe) · de reifen (to grow ripe) · pt amadurecer (to cause to mature; to make ripe) · hu érlel (to cause to mature; to make ripe) · sl zoreti (to grow ripe) · az yetişdirmək (to cause to mature; to make ripe) · qu susuy (to grow ripe) · fi kypsyttää (to bring to perfection) · txb päk- (to grow ripe) · pl dojrzewać (to grow ripe) · arz إستوى (to grow ripe) · ca madurar (to cause to mature; to make ripe) · tr olgunlaşmak (to grow ripe) · ru зреть (to grow ripe) · oc amadurar (to bring to perfection) · tr olgunlaşmak (to approach or come to perfection) · fr mûrir (to grow ripe) · az bozarmaq (to grow ripe) · th บ่ม (to cause to mature; to make ripe) · pl dojrzeć (to grow ripe) · fr faire mûrir (to bring to perfection) · hy հասնել (to grow ripe) · fi kypsyä (to grow ripe) · km ទុំ (to grow ripe) · it maturare (to grow ripe) · nl rijpen (to grow ripe) · cmn 成熟 (to grow ripe) · fi kypsytellä (to bring to perfection) · fi tuleennuttaa (to cause to mature; to make ripe) · chr ᎬᏂᏍᎦ (to grow ripe) · pt amadurecer (to grow ripe) · sk zrieť (to grow ripe) · az kamilləşdirmək (to bring to perfection) · cs zrát (to grow ripe) · fi kypsyä (to approach or come to perfection) · eu heldu (to grow ripe) · oc amadurar (to approach or come to perfection) · te పండించు (to grow ripe) · az kamala yetişmək (to approach or come to perfection) · az kamilləşmək (to approach or come to perfection) · ca madurar (to grow ripe) · ru поспева́ть (to grow ripe) · te పండించు (to cause to mature; to make ripe) · eo maturiĝi (to grow ripe) · ja 成熟する (to grow ripe) · tr olgunlaşmak (to cause to mature; to make ripe) · tet tasak (to grow ripe) · xto päk- (to grow ripe) · bg зре́я (to grow ripe) · ang fealwian (to grow ripe) · es madurar (to grow ripe) · he הבשיל (to grow ripe) · qu puquy (to grow ripe) · oc madurar (to grow ripe) · ru поспе́ть (to grow ripe) · mk зрее (to grow ripe) · ar يَنَعَ (to grow ripe) · uk зрі́ти (to grow ripe) · de ausreifen (to approach or come to perfection) · es colorear (to grow ripe) · arz نضج (to grow ripe) · ja 熟す (to grow ripe) · ko 숙성시키다 (to cause to mature; to make ripe) · oc amadurar (to cause to mature; to make ripe) · ban nasak (to grow ripe) · ga aibigh (to grow ripe) · fi kypsyttää (to cause to mature; to make ripe) · ary طاب (to grow ripe) · sv mogna (to grow ripe) · oc madurar (to bring to perfection) · pt amadurecer (to approach or come to perfection) · ru спеть (to grow ripe) · sq ndulk (to grow ripe) · wa meuri (to grow ripe) · az yetişmək (to grow ripe) · pt maturar (to grow ripe) · fr faire mûrir (to cause to mature; to make ripe) · sh зрети (to grow ripe) · izh valmistua (to grow ripe) · ru созре́ть (to grow ripe) · cy aeddfedu (to grow ripe) · az bozartmaq (to cause to mature; to make ripe) · mpi na (to grow ripe) · la mītigō (to cause to mature; to make ripe) · ru созрева́ть (to grow ripe) · gl madurar (to grow ripe) · fi valmistua (to approach or come to perfection) · wa mawri (to grow ripe) · ro coace (to grow ripe) · es jechar (to grow ripe) · la mātūrescō (to grow ripe) · oc amadurar (to grow ripe) · nb modne (to cause to mature; to make ripe) · ta பழு (to grow ripe) · pa ਪੱਕਣਾ (to grow ripe) · uk дозріва́ти (to grow ripe) · nb modnes (to grow ripe) · az yetkinləşdirmək (to cause to mature; to make ripe) · bg узря́вам (to grow ripe) · sk dozrieť (to grow ripe) · ko 숙성되다 (to grow ripe)