"ripe" in seven languages
Meaningripe
Spanish
maduro
/maˈduɾo/
inherited
Also 'mature' of a person.
French
mûr
/myʁ/
inherited
fem.: mûre
The circumflex marks the lost vowel of Old French meür, not an s; une mûre is also a blackberry.
Italian
maturo
/maˈturo/
inherited
Portuguese
maduro
/maˈduɾu/
inherited
Romanian
copt
/kopt/
other source · Latin COCTUM 'cooked'
Literally 'cooked, baked'; matur is 'mature' (a learned word).
Catalan
madur
/məˈdu/
inherited
English
ripe
/ɹaɪp/
native English · Old English rīpe
English → ItalianripematuroNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: mature, premature.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
MĀTŪRUM‘ripe, timely’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
MĀTŪRUM shows lenition at a glance: Italian maturo keeps the t, Spanish maduro voices it, French mûr loses it and fronts the u. Romanian fruit is 'cooked' by the sun: copt, from COCTUM with Romanian CT → pt.
English relatives: mature, premature
Sound laws at work
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In a sentence
- esEstos tomates todavía no están maduros.
- frCes tomates ne sont pas encore mûres.
- itQuesti pomodori non sono ancora maturi.
- ptEsses tomates ainda não estão maduros.
- roRoșiile astea nu sunt încă coapte.
- caAquests tomàquets encara no són madurs.
- enThese tomatoes aren't ripe yet.