Maturity

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /məˈt͡ʃʊəɹəti/

Definitions

1. The state of being fully developed physically, emotionally, or mentally, or the point at which something becomes due for payment
2. The condition of being fully developed in various aspects, including physical, emotional, and mental growth, as well as the stage at which a financial obligation is payable
3. The stage of development where one exhibits full growth in body, emotions, and intellect, along with the time when a debt is due for settlement

Etymology: The English noun "maturity" carries a Latin root that is more concrete than its modern sense suggests. Latin "mātūrus" meant ripe, as in fruit ready to be picked, and by extension timely or early-ripened. The Latin noun "mātūritās" came from that adjective and meant ripeness, with the same sense of something having reached the right moment. Ripeness of fruit and of grain was the image at the heart of the word long before anyone applied it to people. The term reached English through Old French "maturité" and passed into Middle English as "maturitee" or "maturyte." Its sense shifted gradually from the agricultural idea of readiness to the figurative one of full development, both in people and in things. The English word "mature" is the adjective and verb it is built on, and "-ity" is the suffix that turns an adjective into a noun of state or quality.

Synonyms: adulthood, development, ripeness

Antonyms: immaturity, youth, inexperience