mature

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. adj. Having reached full natural growth or development: a mature cell.
2. adj. Having reached a desired or final condition; ripe: a mature cheese.
3. adj. Of, relating to, or characteristic of full development, either mental or physical: mature for her age.
4. adj. Suitable or intended for adults: mature subject matter.
5. adj. Composed of adults: a mature audience.
6. adj. Worked out fully by the mind; considered: a mature plan of action.
7. adj. Having reached the limit of its time; due: a mature bond.
8. adj. No longer subject to great expansion or development. Used of an industry, a market, or a product.
9. adj. Geology Having reached maximum development of form. Used of streams and landforms.
10. v. To bring to full development; ripen.
11. v. To work out fully in the mind: "able to digest and mature my thoughts for my own mind only” ( John Stuart Mill).
12. v. To evolve toward or reach full development: The child's judgment matures as she grows older.
13. v. To become due. Used of notes and bonds.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. Complete in natural growth or development; fully grown or ripened; ripe: as, mature grain or fruit; a person of mature age; mature in judgment.
2. Completely elaborated or prepared; brought to maturity; ready for use or execution; fully evolved; ample; thorough: as, a result of mature deliberation.
3. In medicine, in a state of perfect suppuration.
4. In com., become payable; having reached the time fixed for payment; fully due.
5. Synonyms and Mature, Ripe, digested, well-considered. Mature and ripe both primarily denote the result of the process of physical growth. Ripe emphasizes simply the result: the fruit needs no more nourishment from the stock, and further change will be to over-ripeness and decay. Mature combines with the idea of the result the further suggestion of the process by which the result was reached. Further, ripe always seems figurative when applied to anything besides fruit, especially fruit growing above ground: to speak of a ripe scholar, or a ripened judgment, is distinctly figurative. Mature, on the other hand, seems quite as literal now in the secondary as in the primary sense. The same distinction exists between the verbs and between the nouns corresponding to these adjectives.
6. To cause to ripen; bring to maturity: as, to mature ale.
7. To elaborate or carry to completion; make ripe or ready for use or action: as, to mature one's plans.
8. In medicine, to bring to a state of perfect suppuration; maturate.
9. To come to a state of ripeness; become ripe or perfect: as, wine matures by age or by agitation in a long voyage; the judgment matures by age and experience.
10. In com., to reach the time fixed for payment, or for payment of the principal, as distinguished from instalments of interest: as, a bill matures on a certain date.
11. In medicine, to come to a state of perfect suppuration. =Syn. 1. Mature, Ripen. See comparison under mature, a.
12. In physical geography and geology, noting the stage of maximum development; specifically, rioting a stage in the cycle of erosion when the fullest development of variety in forms and of activity in processes is attained.

Wiktionary

1. adj. Fully developed; grown up in terms of physical appearance, behaviour or thinking; ripe.
2. adj. Profound; careful.
3. v. intransitive, of food To become mature; to ripen.
4. v. intransitive To gain experience or wisdom with age.
5. v. intransitive (finance) To reach the date when payment is due

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adj. Brought by natural process to completeness of growth and development; fitted by growth and development for any function, action, or state, appropriate to its kind; full-grown; ripe.
2. adj. Completely worked out; fully digested or prepared; ready for action; made ready for destined application or use; perfected.
3. adj. Of or pertaining to a condition of full development.
4. adj. Come to, or in a state of, completed suppuration.
5. v. To bring or hasten to maturity; to promote ripeness in; to ripen; to complete.
6. v. To advance toward maturity; to become ripe
7. v. Hence, to become due, as a note.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. cause to ripen and discharge pus
2. v. become due for repayment
3. adj. (of birds) having developed feathers or plumage; often used in combination
4. v. cause to ripen or develop fully
5. adj. fully developed or matured and ready to be eaten or used
6. adj. having reached full natural growth or development
7. v. develop and work out fully in one's mind
8. v. develop and reach maturity; undergo maturation
9. adj. fully considered and perfected
10. v. grow old or older
11. adj. characteristic of maturity