1. Ready for reaping or gathering; having attained perfection; mature; — said of fruits, seeds, etc.; as, ripe
grain.
So mayst thou live, till, like ripe fruit, thou drop
Into thy mother's lap.
Milton. 2. Advanced to the state of fitness for use; mellow; as, ripe cheese; ripe wine.
3. Having attained its full development; mature; perfected; consummate. "Ripe courage." Chaucer.
He was a scholar, and a ripe and good one.
Shak. 4. Maturated or suppurated; ready to discharge; — said of sores, tumors, etc.
5. Ready for action or effect; prepared.
While things were just ripe for a war.
Addison.
I am not ripe to pass sentence on the gravest public bodies.
Burke. 6. Like ripened fruit in ruddiness and plumpness.
Those happy smilets,
That played on her ripe lip.
Shak. 7. Intoxicated. [Obs.] "Reeling ripe." Shak.
Syn. — Mature; complete; finished. See Mature.
Ripe
(Ripe), v. i. [AS. ripian.] To ripen; to grow ripe. [Obs.]
Ripe
(Ripe), v. t. To mature; to ripen. [Obs.] Shak.
Ripely
(Ripe"ly), adv. Maturely; at the fit time. Shak.
Ripen
(Rip"en) v. i. [imp. & p. p. Ripened ;p. pr. & vb. n. Ripening.]
1. To grow ripe; to become mature, as grain, fruit, flowers, and the like; as, grapes ripen in the sun.
2. To approach or come to perfection.
Ripen
(Rip"en), v. t.
1. To cause to mature; to make ripe; as, the warm days ripened the corn.
2. To mature; to fit or prepare; to bring to perfection; as, to ripen the judgment.
When faith and love, which parted from thee never,
Had ripined thy iust soul to dwell with God.
Milton. Ripeness
(Ripe"ness) n. [AS. ripness.] The state or quality of being ripe; maturity;; completeness; perfection; as,
the ripeness of grain; ripeness of manhood; ripeness of judgment.
Time, which made them their fame outlive,
To Cowley scarce did ripeness give.
Denham. Ripidolite
(Ri*pid"o*lite) n. [Gr. . . fan + -lite.] (Min.) A translucent mineral of a green color and micaceous
structure, belonging to the chlorite group; a hydrous silicate of alumina, magnesia, and iron; — called also
clinochlore.
Ripienist
(Ri*pi*e"nist) n. (Mus.) A player in the ripieno portion of an orchestra. See Ripieno.
