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To grow ripe; to become mature, as grain, fruit, flowers, and the like; as, grapes ripen in the sun.

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.

To ripen. [Obs.] Donne.

To make too ripe. Shak.

Having four wings; -- said of insects.

Same as Tripinnate.

Quality or state of being unripe.

To thrive or grow; to ripen. [Prov. Eng.] Kill ivy, else tree will addle no more. Tusser.

or progress; to further; to forward; to help on; to aid; to heighten; as, to advance the ripening of fruit; to advance one's interests.

Producing fruit of two kinds, either as to form or time of ripening.

Consisting of the pericarp of the ripened pericarp with no other parts adnate to it, as a peach, a poppy capsule, or a grape.

To mature or perfect; to ripen. [Obs.] Bacon.

Having the power of digesting or ripening; digestive. Hence the concoctive powers, with various art, Subdue the cruder aliments to chyle. J. Armstrong.

A crude, undigested, or unprepared state; rawness; unripeness; immatureness; unfitness for a destined use or purpose; as, the crudeness of iron ore; crudeness of theories or plans.

An incrustation on the interior of wine bottles, the result of the ripening of the wine; a deposit of tartar, etc. See Beeswing.

A Hebrew prophet distinguished for sagacity and ripeness of judgment in youth; hence, a sagacious and upright judge. A Daniel come to judgment. Shak.

The separation of ripened leaves from a branch or stem; the falling or shedding of the leaves.

To ripen; to mature. [Obs.] Well-digested fruits. Jer. Taylor.

"Greater hulks draw deep." Shak. To draw to a head. (a) (Med.) To begin to suppurate; to ripen, as a boil. (b) Fig.: To ripen, to approach the time for action; as, the plot draws to a head.

The inner layer of a ripened or fructified ovary.