Etymologically
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maturo

Etymology and origin of the Latin word maturo

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Plautus
Ultimate origin
Latin (mātūrus)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [maːˈtuː.roː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [maˈtuː.ro][1]

Forms

mātūrō (present infinitive mātūrāre, perfect active mātūrāvī, supine mātūrātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from mātūrus “ripe, timely” with the verb suffix -ō.[2][1][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of making haste, and Accius, of doing in good time.[2] Köbler's first source is Cato; he dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to ripen, bring to maturity, as Cicero's ripened grape and Tibullus' grapes, in Pliny the Elder to mellow wine and bring an abscess to a head, and in Quintilian figuratively.[2][6][7] From Accius it meant to do in good time, speed, and in Plautus to make haste, mātūrātō opus est “there is no time to lose”, and in Cicero to hurry.[2] In Terence it meant to bring forward in time, hasten.[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to grow, mature, develop.[8] It survives in Italian maturare, French mûrir and Spanish madurar, and English mature came about 1400, first of bringing a sore to suppuration.[1][4]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of making haste.[2][5]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of hastening.[2][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of ripening grapes.[2][7][5]
  • c. 1400 – English mature is recorded.[4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To ripen, mature; to mellow.[2]
  2. To do in good time, speed.[2]
  3. To make haste, hurry.[2]
  4. To bring forward, hasten.[2]

Word family

  • admātūrō
  • ematuro
  • mātūrātiō
  • maturator
  • mātūrēscō
  • permātūrō
  • mātūrātē
  • mātūrātō
  • mātūrē
  • mātūrefaciō
  • mātūritās
  • mātūrus
  • English mature

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
Cite this entry

“Maturo.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/maturo. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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