ripe

B1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈraɪp/ UK /ɹaɪp/ See IPA manual

Freq #8671

Meanings

1

adj
Fully grown and ready to be picked or eaten.

These peaches are perfectly ripe and sweet.
2

adj
Of cheese or wine, fully developed in flavour.

The ripe cheese had a strong, rich taste.
3

adj
Fully ready for something to happen.

The conditions were ripe for change.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · fully grown and ready to be... mature

Opposites

unripe

Word family

Forms ripelyripenessriperripestunripe

Derived forms drop-ripefirstripeforce-ripemarket-ripenonripeoverriperare-riperipeishripelyripenripenessrope-ripe

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

ripe olive
an olive harvested after reaching maturity and prepared for eating

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English ripe, rype, from Old English rīpe (“ripe, mature”), from Proto-West Germanic *rīpī, from Proto-Germanic *rīpijaz, *rīpiz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reyb- (“to snatch”). Cognate with West Frisian ryp (“ripe”), Dutch rijp (“ripe”), German reif (“ripe”). Related to reap.

ripe Middle English rīpe Old English *rīpī Proto-West Germanic *rīpijaz Proto-Germanic *h₁reyb- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Gardening & Horticulture

External links

# ripe

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈraɪp/
**IPA (UK):** /ɹaɪp/
**Frequency rank:** 8671

## Meanings
1. Fully grown and ready to be picked or eaten.
2. Of cheese or wine, fully developed in flavour.
3. Fully ready for something to happen.

## Examples
- These peaches are perfectly ripe and sweet.
- The ripe cheese had a strong, rich taste.
- The conditions were ripe for change.

## Antonyms
- unripe

## Derived Forms
- drop-ripe
- firstripe
- force-ripe
- market-ripe
- nonripe
- overripe
- rare-ripe
- ripeish
- ripely
- ripen
- ripeness
- rope-ripe

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: ripe
- Root: rīpe
- Root: *rīpī
- Root: *rīpijaz
- Root: *h₁reyb-

## Etymology
From Middle English ripe, rype, from Old English rīpe (“ripe, mature”), from Proto-West Germanic *rīpī, from Proto-Germanic *rīpijaz, *rīpiz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reyb- (“to snatch”). Cognate with West Frisian ryp (“ripe”), Dutch rijp (“ripe”), German reif (“ripe”). Related to reap.

## AI Etymology
Ripe comes from Middle English ripe, rype, from Old English rīpe (“ripe, mature”), from Proto-West Germanic *rīpī, from Proto-Germanic *rīpijaz, *rīpiz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reyb- (“to snatch”). Cognate with West Frisian ryp (“ripe”), Dutch rijp (“ripe”), German reif (“ripe”). Related to reap. Modern senses include fully grown and ready to be picked or eaten. and of cheese or wine, fully developed in flavour.. The wider word family includes derivatives such as drop-ripe, firstripe, force-ripe, market-ripe, nonripe, and overripe.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Gardening & Horticulture

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