ripen Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb cause to ripen or develop fully
    mature.
    • The sun ripens the fruit
    • Age matures a good wine
  2. verb grow ripe
    • The plums ripen in July

WordNet

Rip"en intransitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Ripened ;present participle & verbal noun Ripening
Definitions
  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.
Rip"en transitive verb
Definitions
  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.

Webster 1913