▪ I. † ripe, n.1 Obs.
Forms: 1 r{iacu}p, r{yacu}p (hripp), 1, 4 riip (4–5 rip), 3–4 ripe, 5 ryp(e, ryppe.
[OE. r{iacu}p neut., related to r{iacu}pan reap v.1]
Harvest.
| c 900 tr. Baeda's Hist. i. xxix. (1890) 88 Þætte her wære micel rip onweard & fea worhton. a 930 O.E. Chron. (Parker MS.) an. 896, Þæt þa Deniscan him ne mehton þæs ripes forwiernan. a 1000 Phœnix 246 ær wintres cyme, on rypes timan. a 1225 Juliana 75 Ȝe schulen..reopen ripe of þat sed þat ȝe her seowen. 1382 Wyclif 2 Sam. xxi. 9 In the dais of the fyrst rijp, begynnynge the repynge of barli. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VIII. 185 Þou hast no leve to sette þyn hook in oþer men ripe [v.r. ryp(e, etc.]. |
▪ II. ripe, n.2 Now rare.
(raɪp)
[ad. L. rīpa bank.]
The bank of a river; the seashore.
| c 1470 Harding Chron. vi. iii, For rypes and roches whyte To shipmen were greate gladnesse and delyte. Ibid. ccxl. note, Blak been thi bankes and thi ripes also. 1538 Leland Itin. (1768) I. 34 The Ripe of Trent againe it is low and medow ground. 1577 Harrison Eng. iii. xvii, On the left ripe (for so he [Leland] calleth the bancke of euery brooke thorow out all his Englishe treatizes) of a pretie ryuer. |
| 1838 Holloway Prov. Dict., Ripe, a bank; the sea-shore; as ‘Lydd Ripe’. 1880 Stringer in Archæol. Cant. XIII. 255 The rights of the inhabitants of Lydd to the ripe and common. 1894 Speight Nidderdale 212 On that account..its ripe or bank was more likely to be selected for a place of settlement. |
▪ III. ripe, a. (n.3 and adv.)
(raɪp)
Also 3–7 rype, 4 rip, rijp(e.
[OE. r{iacu}pe, = Fris. ryp, † rijp, MDu. ripe, rijp, riep (Du. rijp), OS. rîpi (MLG. ripe, rype, LG. rîp), OHG. rîfi, rîfe (G. reif): the stem rīp- may be related to that of reap v.]
1. a. Of grain, fruits, etc.: Ready for reaping or gathering; arrived at the stage in which they are most fit for eating, or for reproducing the plants which bear them.
| c 888 K. ælfred Boeth. xxxix. §13 Westmbæra hærfest bryngð ripa bleda. c 900 tr. Baeda's Hist. i. xii. (1890) 44 Hi..sloᵹan eall & cwealdon..& swa swa ripe yrð fortreddon. a 1225 Juliana 74 Ant reope we of þat ripe sed þat we seowen. c 1290 St. Brendan 696 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 239 Þe Applene weren ripe inouȝ. a 1330 Roland & V. 312 And amorwe grapes þai bere, Red & ripe. 1340 Ayenb. 28 Þet corn..is uol of frut and al ripe. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 137 The leves weren faire and large, Of fruit it bare so ripe a charge. 1483 Cath. Angl. 309/2 A Rype fige, precoqua, precox. 1530 Palsgr. 322/2 Rype as fruyte is, meur. 1569 Grindal in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. i. II. 259 My Grapes this Yeare are not yett rype. 1579 E. K. Gloss. Spenser's Sheph. Cal. Nov., We fall like rotted ripe fruite fro the tree. 1613 Purchas Pilgrimage v. xii. (1614) 507 When the fruit is ripe, the first and outermost part openeth. 1676 M. Lister in Ray Corr. (1848) 124, I gathered the ears a little before they were ripe. 1781 Cowper Heroism 54 Through the ripe harvest lies their destin'd road. 1832 Lindley Introd. Bot. i. ii. 186 It [the aril] more properly comes under consideration along with the ripe seed. 1864 Tennyson En. Ard. 456 If the nuts..be ripe again. 1878 Browning La Saisiaz 7 Scarce enough to..redden ripe the mountain-ash. |
| absol. a 1300 Cursor M. 6044 Þat beist þan gneu vp..bath ripe and grene. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xix. 107 He het elde, an hih for to clymbe, And shaken hit sharply, Þe ripen sholden falle. |
| transf. 1439 Ep. Acad. Oxon. (1898) I. 184 Noryshed with the rype frute of Konnyng. 1613 Jackson Creed i. 136 Vntill they be ripe of death in the Autumne. c 1620 Sir W. Mure Sonn. vi. 13 Those fayre brests' rype clusters quho myt presse. 1771 Junius Lett. lxvii. (1788) 342 When you are ripe, you shall be plucked. 1818 Keats Endym. ii. 397 Coverlids gold-tinted like the peach, Or ripe October's faded marigolds. 1861 Reade Cloister & H. xxxviii, Thy beard is ripe, thy fellow's is green; he shall be the younger. |
† b. Of herbs or grass. Obs.
| c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 439 Herbis þat groweden in a orchard, and weren nyȝ rype. 1495 Trevisa's Barth. De P.R. ix. xiv. 356 Junius is paynted as mowynge haye, for that tyme haye is ripe in medes. 1565 Cooper Thesaurus, Prata arida, when the grasse is ripe, and redy to mow. |
c. In proverbs, usually with fig. application.
| 1546 J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 22 But soone rype soone rotten. a 1569 A. Kingsmill Comf. Afflict. (1585) C ii, All the glorie of man..is as the flower of the fielde, soone ripe, soone rotten. 1705 Hickeringill Priest-cr. ii. i. 6 The old Proverb prov'd true, for, he was soon ripe, and soon rotten. 1736 [Chetwood] Voy. Vaughan (1760) I. 52 My Uncle..told me, Ripe Fruit was soon rotten. |
d. Resembling ripe fruit; red and full.
| 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. iii. ii. 139 O how ripe in show, Thy lips, those kissing cherries, tempting grow! 1600 ― A.Y.L. iii. v. 121 There was a pretty rednesse in his lip A little riper, and more lustie red Then that mixt in his cheeke. 1855 Tennyson Maud i. ii, An underlip, you may call it a little too ripe, too full. 1894 Hall Caine Manxman iii. iii, With..her ripe mouth twitching merrily. |
2. a. Of birds or animals: Fully fledged or developed; esp. come to a fit condition for being killed and used as food. Also, ripe peeler (peeler1 2 b).
| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 3673 Hii ne mowe noȝt wel fle Vor feblesse of hor brode, ac wanne hor briddes rype beþ, þer hii findeþ more mete in londes aboute hii fleþ. 1398 [see fledge a. 1]. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. iv. (1586) 169 To fatte Pigions..it is good to bring them to the Kitchin, before they bee full ripe. 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts 582 A little Kyd..being ripe, the maister killed it, and layed it before the Panther to be eaten. 1837 Macgillivray Hist. Brit. Birds II. 403, I caught the birds with much difficulty in a trap-cage when their young were nearly ripe. 1844 H. Stephens Bk. Farm II. 94 A ripe sheep..is easily known..by the fulness exhibited in all the external parts. 1889 Pall Mall G. 14 May 3/1 The ducklings..must be killed as soon as they are ready, and not kept a day longer than the hour when they are ripe. 1952 Sun (Baltimore) (B ed.) 23 June 12/5 Language peculiar only to soft-crabbing... Ripe peeler—Has the same characteristics as the ‘green peeler’ but is more advanced in the shedding process. |
| fig. 1575 R. B. Apius & Virginia C 8 Under the Hedge with a payre of new Cardes both rip and fledge. |
b. Of persons: Fully developed in body or mind; mature, † marriageable (Cf. 6 a.)
| c 1386 Chaucer Doctor's T. 68 Such þinges maken children for to be To soone rype and bold. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 246 Sche scholde ben hir fader hair, And was of yeres ripe ynowh. 1513 More in Grafton Chron. (1568) II. 783 They were coupled or she were well rype. 1563 Mirr. Mag. ii. 148 These two noble ympes I caused to be slayne, Of yeares not ful rype as yet to rule and raygne. c 1600 B. Jonson To Penshvrst 54 Wks. (1616) 820 Some..send By their ripe daughters, whom they would commend This way to husbands. 1784 Cowper Task vi. 598 He..being ripe in years, And conscious of the outrage he commits. 1807 Wordsw. White Doe iii. 128 Ripe men, or blooming in life's spring,..Stood by their Sire, on Clifford-moor. 1876 Geo. Eliot Dan. Der. viii. lx, Since I was a ripe man, I have been what I am now. 1949 G. Davenport Family Fortunes i. iv. 54, I swear, Martha, if I'd of met you when you was still ripe, I'd have left Hattie's mother, kids and all, to follow you clear to California, I would. |
c. Ready for birth. rare.
| 1565 Cooper Thesaurus, Fœtus maturos edere, to brynge foorth yonge when they be rype. 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, ii. ii. 10 Some vnborne sorrow, ripe in fortunes wombe, Is comming towards me. 1741 Monro Anat. Nerves (ed. 3) 275 The superior Extremity of this..Phalanx is a Cartilage in a ripe Child. |
d. Of fish, etc.: Ready to lay eggs or spawn.
| 1861 Hulme tr. Moquin-Tandon ii. iii. i. 78 The insect is collected..towards the end of the month of June, when the females are ripe. 1868 Peard Water-farm. viii. 85 Out of twenty, or thirty fish, not more than two or three will in all probability be found ripe. 1883 in G. B. Goode Fish Indust. U.S.A. 76 The fish remained in the basin until they were ripe. |
3. a. Of liquor: Advanced to the state of being ready for use; fully matured, mellow. Also absol.
| 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xxi. 415 Til the vendage valle in þe vale of Iosaphat, And [I] drynke ryght rype most. a 1648 Digby Closet Opened (1677) 25 When it is cold put in it six spoonfuls of barm, and when it is ripe, it will hiss in the pail. 1742 Lond. & Country Brew. i. (ed. 4) 80 Nor will they be so soon ripe and fit to tap as the high dried Malt-Drink will. 1820 Blackw. Mag. VI. 551 Used to impart to new brandy and rum a ripe taste. 1834 Tennyson in Memoir (1897) I. 134 He..Gives stouter ale and riper port Than any in the country-side. 1853 Ure Dict. Arts (ed. 4) I. 158 The casks..in which the ripe beer is kept and exported. 1930 Wodehouse Very Good, Jeeves! iv. 102 Having got me in sporting mood with a bottle of the ripest. |
b. Of suppurations, etc.: Ready to lance or break; fit for curative treatment.
| c 1410 Master of Game (MS. Digby 182) xii, Menge þise herbes..and leyth hem vponn þe bocches; and þat shall make hem rype. And whan þei beth rype, slyt hem with a sharpe knyfe. c 1550 H. Lloyd Treas. Health a iij, Horsnesse, and continuall fluxion of snevil in old men, do in no means waxe rype. 1580 Blundevil Horsemanship iv. xxxv. 17 Thrust it in..so as the point of the iron may come out at the ripest place. 1810 E. Weeton Let. 25 Feb. (1969) I. 240, I have had another boil on my face... I neither lanced, nor poulticed it, but when ripe, let the matter out with a needle. 1909 Dialect Notes III. 363 Ripe, said of a boil when it is ready to be lanced. |
c. Of natural products, etc.: Arrived at a mature or perfect state.
| 1635–56 Cowley Davideis iv. Poems (1905) 388 Clouds with ripe Thunder charg'd some thither drew. 1700 S. L. tr. Fryke's Voy. E. Ind. 316 There are People to look every year, and see whether the Pearls are ripe. 1726 Pope Odyss. xvii. 30 With riper beams when Phœbus warms the day. 1807 Vancouver Agric. Devon (1813) 268 It is much to be lamented that the ripe timber only had not been selected. 1865 Richardson & Watts Chem. Tech. II. iv. 294 The successive operations to which the ripe earth is submitted, are undertaken for the purpose of separating the nitrates from it. |
d. (See quot. 1949.)
| 1949 A. R. Daniel Bakers' Dict., Ripe dough, technical term for a dough ready for scaling having received a period of fermentation sufficiently protracted to enable the gluten to reach its most extensible condition. 1962 Listener 22 Mar. 511/1 There is a stage in breadmaking when the dough is said to be ‘ripe’. |
4. a. Of persons: Of mature judgement or knowledge; fully informed; thoroughly qualified by study and thought.
| c 1200 Vices & Virtues 135 Nis þat non god tocne of ripe manne. a 1250 Owl & Night. 211 He is nv ripe & fastrede, Ne luste hym nv to non vnrede. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 438 Crist sente hise apostlis, when þei weren rype, to diverse londis, to sowe wateris of wisdom. 1395 Purvey Remonstr. 107 Jugis and mynistris of the king owen to be ripe men. a 1568 R. Ascham Scholem. ii. (Arb.) 109 This exercise may bring moch profite to ripe heads. 1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie iii. xviii. (Arb.) 205 No lesse plaine to a ripe reader, then if it were named expresly. 1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII, iv. ii. 51 He was a Scholler, and a ripe, and good one. 1657 Trapp Comm. Job xxxii. 6 Some young men are ripe betime, and more ready-headed than their ancients. 1867 Trollope Chron. Barset i, Mr. Crawley in his early days had been a ripe scholar. 1883 S. C. Hall Retrospect I. 367 A ripe scholar and in many ways an eloquent teacher. |
b. Const. in (or upon) a matter, business, etc.
| c 1475 Partenay 7 A man ful ripe in other clerigie. 1525 St. Papers Hen. VIII, VI. 397 Almost impossible it shuld be to make the Poopes Holynes so ripe in the Kinges particuler causes as were nedefull. 1548–9 (Mar.) Bk. Com. Prayer, Ord. Priests, Ye may waxe riper and stronger in your ministerie. 1615 G. Sandys Trav. 218 As sound in judgement as ripe in experience. 1699 W. Dampier Voy. II. i. 60 Money-changing..is managed by Women, who are very dextrous and ripe in this Employment. 1723 Wodrow Corr. (1843) III. 11, I cannot say I am so ripe upon that subject as to answer the difficulty Mr. Masterton moves. 1847 Longfellow Ev. i. iii. 11 Ripe in wisdom was he. |
c. Similarly of the mind, judgement, etc.
| 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 339/2 A longe vysage or chyere and enclyned, whiche is a signe of maturyte or rype sadnes. 1567 Gude & Godlie Ball. (S.T.S.) 106 With mynde rype and degest. a 1591 H. Smith Wks. (1867) I. 476 Every man thinks his own wit ripest. 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. ii. iv. 70 His head vn-mellowed, but his Iudgement ripe. 1604 T. Wright Passions i. x. 39 Youth..are inconstant..partely helped with the lacke of a ripe resolution, and firme iudgement. 1647 Sprigge Anglia Rediv. ii. ii. (1854) 76 A gentle⁓man..of a most dexterous and ripe invention for all such things. 1693 Dryden Juvenal Ded. (1697) p. xx, His Natural Endowments, of a large Invention, a ripe Judgment, and a strong Memory. 1788 Reid Aristotle's Logic vi. §i. 136 The most important parts of this science require a ripe understanding. 1871 Disraeli Lothair Pref. p. xviii, His intimates only were acquainted with his..ripe scholarship. 1894 H. Drummond Ascent Man 164 Mind, in Man, does not start into being fully ripe. |
5. Properly considered or deliberated; matured by reflection or study.
| c 1270 Prov. Hendyng 84 Sot..wol speke wordes grene, Er then hue buen rype. c 1386 Chaucer Clerk's T. 438 So wise and rype wordes hadde she. ― Melib. ¶2389 Thou shalt also eschue the conseillyng of yong folk, for hir conseil is nat rype. 1439 Rolls of Parlt. V. 7/2 A gode and a ripe deliberation and avys, the which can noght be hade in a fewe dayes. 1540 Act 32 Hen. VIII, c. 26 The true diffinition..therof requierith ripe and mature deliberation and advise. 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. iii. xiv. 97 b, Yeres and long experience..brought more wisdome and rype doctrine. 1638 Junius Paint. Ancients 42 Such Images as after a ripe debate were found to admit an explication consenting with Nature. |
6. Of age: a. Characterized by full development of the physical or mental powers. (Cf. 2 b.)
| c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints v. (John) 399 Bot fra he to rype elde wane he lefit þe bischope. 1531 Elyot Gov. ii. xii. (1880) II. 135 He than beinge of ripe yeres,..his frendes..exhorted hym busely to take a wyfe. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 172 Some man of rype yeares and counsell. c 1590 Marlowe Faust. Chorus 13 Of riper years, to Wertenberg he went. c 1614 Sir W. Mure Dido & æneas To Rdr. 8 Till ryper ȝeirs her infancy subdue. 1671 Milton P.R. iii. 31 Thy years are ripe, and over-ripe. 1784 Cowper Task iv. 713 At so ripe an age As twice sev'n years. 1838 Prescott Ferd. & Is. II. xvii. 224 A riper period of her life. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. i. 8 Simplicity of treatment,..out of place if intended for a reader of riper years. |
b. Advanced; high in years.
| c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xl (Ninian) 609 Þe tyme..þat he of þis lyf suld pas, of parfit dat & rype elde. 1665 Sir T. Herbert Trav. (1677) 243 He died at a ripe age and was buried at Persepolis. 1873 Symonds Grk. Poets v. 137 Anacreon died at the ripe age of eighty-five at Teos. |
7. a. Fully prepared, ready, or able, to do or undergo something.
| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. v. 396 Sholde no ryngynge do me ryse ar I were rype to dyne. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 61 Now I am riip to dye. 1462 Paston Lett. II. 89 What incedentes ye knowe, I preie yow by wrytinge certefie me in all hast, that I may be the more ripe to answer to this. 1542 Recorde Gr. Artes 33 b, You shal be rype and perfect to subtract any other summe lightly. 1595 Daniel Civil Wars iv. 79 Where states are ripe to fall, and vertue spent. 1675 Marvell Corr. Wks. (Grosart) II. 494 That I might at the same time be ripe to give you an account of your businesse. 1768 Blackstone Comm. III. 450 The cause is then ripe to be set down for hearing. 1788 Jefferson Writ. (1859) II. 548 It does not appear to me that the nation is ripe to accept of these. 1807 Wordsw. White Doe ii. 29 But now the inly-working North Was ripe to send its thousands forth. 1875 Helps Ess., Educ. Man Business 66 He will let opportunities grow before his eyes, until they are ripe to be seized. |
b. Ready or fit for some end or purpose.
| 1592 Nobody & Someb. I. 2 b, I know by your complexion, you wer ripe for the hangman. 1642 Fuller Holy & Prof. St. iv. i. 242 These Reversions will be ripe for his heir, by that time his heir shall be ripe for them. a 1682 Sir T. Browne Tracts (1683) 169 Ripe and ready for destruction. 1701 W. Wotton Hist. Rome v. 77 His Designs were not ripe enough for Execution. 1768 Goldsm. Good-n. Man v, It goes no farther; things are not yet ripe for a discovery. 1781 Gibbon Decl. & F. xviii. (1787) II. 111 The conspiracy was ripe for execution. 1807 Vancouver Agric. Devon (1813) 299 Salt-marsh,..when ripe and ready for embankment. 1885 Manch. Exam. 12 May 5/1 The plans of the Government..are not yet ripe for criticism. |
c. Quite prepared for action of some kind, esp. mischief, revolt, etc.
| 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, i. ii. 121 My thrice-puissant Liege Is..Ripe for Exploits and mightie Enterprises. 1644 Heylin Brief Relat. Laud 3 Those libels..inflamed the people, till they had made them ripe for mischeife. 1659 Burton's Diary (1828) IV. 6 You are not ripe for judgment. One affirms, the other denies. 1748 Anson's Voy. ii. xiv. 282 The Indians, on almost every frontier, were ripe for a revolt. 1835 Lytton Rienzi ii. vii, Are thy friends ripe for the saddle? 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. vii. II. 191 England, though heated by grievances, was by no means ripe for revolution. 1879 Farrar St. Paul I. vi. xxi. 385 The mob were only too ripe for a tumult. |
d. Const. with gerund preceding. Now only arch. in reeling ripe, after quot. 1610.
| 1573 Twyne æneid xii. Mm iv, Dying-ripe with nayles her purple robes in ragges she hales. a 1586 Sidney Arcadia (1622) 61 But Lulus (euen weeping ripe) went among the rest. c 1600 Chalkhill Thealma & Cl. (1683) 112 With that he leaps unto her cursing ripe. 1610 Shakes. Temp. v. i. 279 He is drunke now;..And Trinculo is reeling ripe. a 1625 Beaum. & Fl. Woman's Prize ii. i, He's like little children That lose their baubles, crying ripe. |
| 1833 H. Coleridge Poems I. 73 Reeling ripe, Big Independence..works his burly way. 1883 Church Times XXI. 906/3 The Irish teetotaler who was found reeling ripe. |
8. a. Ready for action, execution, or use; arrived at the fitting stage or time for some purpose.
| 1601 Shakes. Jul. C. iv. iii. 215 Our Legions are brim full, our cause is ripe. 1713 Addison Cato ii. i, Should they submit ere our designs are ripe, We both must perish in the common wreck. 1719 De Foe Crusoe ii. (Globe) 440, I desir'd the French Gentleman not to say any thing to them, till the Business was thorough ripe. 1789 Wolcot (Peter Pindar) Subjects for Painters 36 With a lie Ripe at their fingers' ends. 1838 Macaulay Sir W. Temple Ess. (1897) 439 At length, in June, 1671, the designs of the Cabal were ripe. 1860 Motley Netherl. v. I. 145 The insubordination, which was so ripe in the city. 1879 Farrar St. Paul I. ii. viii. 153 Their plot was soon ripe. |
b. Of time: Sufficiently advanced.
| 1596 Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, i. iii. 294, I by Letters shall direct your course When time is ripe. |
| 1850 Tennyson In Mem. Concl. xxxv, The man..was a noble type Appearing ere the times were ripe. 1864 Bryce Holy Rom. Emp. iv. (1875) 44 The great scheme for whose accomplishment the time was now ripe. |
9. In various slang senses. a. Drunk (cf. sense 7 d). b. Fine, excellent; thoroughgoing (also used ironically); hence, beyond reasonable bounds, excessive. c. Angry.
| 1823 ‘J. Bee’ Slang 149 Ripe—drunk. First cousin to mellow. 1923 Wodehouse Inimitable Jeeves ix. 89, I liked the place, and was having quite a ripe time there. 1925 Flynn's 14 Mar. 281/1 Ripe, drunk. 1932 A. J. Worrall Eng. Idioms 33 He was shooting at cats with darts. I told him it was a bit ripe and asked him to stop. 1948 Partridge Dict. Forces' Slang 156 Ripe, complete, thoroughgoing. Usually allied with ‘bastard’. 1959 I. & P. Opie Lore & Lang. Schoolch. iii. 53 They come down like a ton of bricks on people who tell a stale joke. ‘Do you know where Smudger takes his girl?’ gags the would-be comic, ‘He takes her behind a bush because it's very privet.’ Whereupon the ‘ripe one’ is complimented: ‘Oh lor, last time I heard that the tears rolled down my bib.’ 1964 Australasian Post 21 May 13 Even a ripe shiner isn't just a black eye to the man in the white coat. It is a peri-optic ecchymosis. 1966 R. Jeffries Death in Coverts iii. 93 We all joked about it and Bill got really ripe. No sense of humour. 1967 R. Campbell in Coast to Coast 1965–66 20 Jack'll be ripe pickings by the time that old buzzard comes around from the police station to close the pub. 1969 ‘J. Fraser’ Cock-pit of Roses xvi. 127 ‘What the bloody hell are you playing at?’ ‘That's ripe considering you just near broke my arm!’ |
† 10. a. As n. Ripeness. (Cf. for- 10.) Obs.
| c 1000 Ags. Ps. (Thorpe) cxviii. 147 Ic ðe on ripe fore-com [Vulg. Præveni in maturitate]. a 1425 Cursor M. 18834 (Trin.), His heer [was] like to þe note broun whenne hit for ripe [Cott. ripnes] falleþ doun. |
† b. As adv. Ripely. Obs.
| a 1632 Taylor God's Judgem. i. ii. iii. (1642) 172 But the King..handled them so ripe and handsomely, that..he dealt with them as pleased him. |
11. Comb. a. Parasynthetic, as ripe-aged, ripe-bearded, ripe-coloured, ripe-eared, ripe-faced, ripe-meated, ripe-tongued, ripe-witted.
| 1548 Patten Exped. Scotl. Pref. † v, A righte ripetungued deponent. 1567 Drant Horace, Ep. Pref. vj, I take them to be ripe-toungued tryfles. a 1586 Sidney Arcadia iii. (1605) 377 Alas how ripe witted these young folkes be now adayes. 1698 F. B. Free but Modest Censure 10 Bestowing upon him the Epithets of Learned, Ingenious, Thoughtful, Ripe-witted, &c. 1818 Keats Endym. iii. 8 Fire-branded foxes to sear up..Our gold and ripe-ear'd hopes. 1826 Hood Love ii, Grave ripe-fac'd wisdom made an April fool? 1827 C. Webbe Harvest-Home ii, Armfuls of ripe-coloured corn. 1922 Joyce Ulysses 59 Slapping a palm on a ripemeated hindquarter. 1934 Webster, Ripe-aged. 1944 E. Sitwell Green Song 11 We heard in the dawn the first ripe-bearded fire Of wheat. 1952 C. Day Lewis tr. Virgil's Aeneid v. 95 Ripe-aged Acestes. |
b. Miscellaneous, as ripe-bending, ripe-grown, ripe-like.
| 1592 Shakes. Ven. & Ad. clxxxiii, Mulberries, & ripe-red cherries. 1599 Nashe Lenten Stuffe 30 The light-foot tripper.., who would run ouer the ripe-bending eares of corne. 1640 Rutherford Lett. ii. xxxvii. (1664) 517 The field of heaven's glory is white and ripe-like. 1687 Norris Coll. Misc. 120 That world..thou'lt see, Ripe-grown, in full maturity. 1873 M. Collins Miranda III. 63 An old⁓fangled ripe-red house. |
▪ IV. ripe, v.1
(raɪp)
Forms: 1 r{iacu}pian, 4 rypen, 5 rypyn; 4– ripe (5 rip), 4–6 rype (6 Sc. ryip), 7 reape.
[OE. r{iacu}pian, = Fris. rypje, MDu. rīpen (Du. rijpen), OS. rîpôn (MLG. and LG. rîpen), OHG. rîfan, rîffen (G. reifen), f. r{iacu}pe ripe a. Now somewhat rare, the usual word being ripen.]
1. intr. To grow or become ripe.
| c 1000 ælfric Hom. II. 104 Do þæt sunne scine þæt ðine æceras ripion. c 1055 Byrhtferth's Handboc in Anglia VIII. 312 On lengtentima springað oððe greniað wæstmas, & on sumera hiᵹ weaxað, & on hærfest hiᵹ ripiað. a 1175 Cott. Hom. 241 Þis corn..wex and bleowu in iudea, hit ripede in ierusalem. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xix. 314 Aȝeines þi greynes..bigynneth for to ripe, Ordeigne þe an hous..to herberwe in þi cornes. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xvii. i. (Tollemache MS.), In some tren and herbes frute ripeþ sone, as mulberies and cheries. c 1436 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 152 Fruyte on tre both gret and smale Gan for to rip and wex fulle pale. c 1480 Henryson Mor. Fab. viii. (Preach. Swallow) xxx, The lint rypit, the carle pullit the lyne. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. liii. 75 Whan..that the corne beganne to rype, he departed fro Gaunt. 1556 J. Heywood Spider & Fly i. 2 What time euery growing thinge That ripeth by roote, hath liuely taken hart. 1613 Day Dyall iv. (1614) 69 The fruits of the Vine do ripe in Season. 1657 R. Ligon Barbadoes (1673) 15 They can never ripe together, but one is green, another ripe, another rotten. 1721 Bradley Philos. Acc. Wks. Nat. 192 The Fruits they bear are much larger, and ripe earlier, than what we find growing upon the old Stocks. 1818 Scott Rob Roy vi, There's aye..something to ripe that I would like to see ripen. 1892 M. Field Sight & Song 60 The peach that ripes. |
| fig. a 1300 Cursor M. 11812 His vn-rightes biginnes to ripe! c 1400 Beryn 677 And by þat tyme þey were there, þe day began to rype. c 1480 Henryson Mor. Fab. viii. (Preach. Swallow) xlii, The sin ryipis, and schame is set on side. 1530 Palsgr. 691/2 It shall be well done for hym to make his testament, for he rypeth a pace. 1600 Shakes. A.Y.L. ii. vii. 26 And so from houre to houre, we ripe, and ripe. a 1631 Donne Poems (1635) 386 Till death us lay To ripe and mellow here, we are stubborne Clay. 1651 Cleveland Poems 32 At my next view, my pur-blind fancy ripes. 1878 Taylor Daniel the Beloved xi. 203 So from hour to hour, he ripes into maturity. |
2. trans. To make ripe, bring to ripeness.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xvii. cxvii. (Tollemache MS.), In som place þe leues ben pullid awey for þe sonne schulde come to þe frute, and ripe it spedily. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 434/2 Rypyn, or make rype, maturo. a 1533 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) B j b, Haruest cometh, whiche tyme doth better rype them. 1555 Eden Decades (Arb.) 292 They are sumtimes inforced to rype & dry them in theyr stooues. 1591 Sylvester Du Bartas i. ii. 643 On Trees anon they ripe the Plum and Pear. |
| fig. 1513 Douglas æneis iv. Prol. 13 Oft to revolf ane vnlefull consait Ripis ȝour perellus frutis and oncorn. ? 1540 R. Hyrde tr. Vives' Instr. Chr. Wom. xii. O ij, What shulde that serue fore, but to rype them and prepare redy for suche as be more lewde. 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, iv. i. 13 Hee is retyr'd, to ripe his growing Fortunes, To Scotland. 1598 Marston Sco. Villanie i. ii. 113 When rapine feedes our pomp, pomp ripes our fall. 1863 W. Lancaster Praeterita 26 We are riped with joy, and marr'd with tears. |
† 3. Med. To bring to a head; to mature. Obs.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xvii. lxxxix. (Bodl. MS.), Þe vertu of þe leli rypeþ bocches & sores. c 1410 Master of Game (MS. Douce 335) 38 b, Medle thes herbes to geder and ley hem vpon the bocches and that shal rype hem. c 1450 M.E. Med. Bk. (Heinrich) 215 To rype þe quinesye, tak smale snayles..& stampe hem, & playster hem aboue þe sore. 1544 T. Phaer Pestilence (1553) P ij, A plaister to ripe a botche comming of the pestilence. 1578 Lyte Dodoens 211 It..ripeth and breaketh harde impostumes. 1614 Latham Falconry (1633) 145 It doth ripe and digest tough slime or glut that commeth of cold. |
† 4. a. To prepare (a matter) by careful consideration. Obs.
| c 1460 Fortescue Abs. & Lim. Mon. xv. (1885) 148 Yff þe amendynge þeroff be not debatyd, and be such counsell ryped to thair handes. 1533 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxford (1880) 115 And if it may be soe, to ripe the matter unto the Kings gracious hands. |
† b. To make (one) ripe in knowledge. Obs.
| 1523 in Strype Eccl. Mem. (1733) I. i. iii. 43 To ripe, inform and instruct him in the Specialities..of all such..Ordinances. c 1555 Harpsfield Divorce Hen. VIII (Camden) 76 Himself being afterwards furnished and riped with greater learning. Ibid. 188 The King's said orators shall..rype and instruct themselves by their secret learned counsell. |
▪ V. ripe, v.2
(raɪp)
Also 1 r{yacu}pan (hr-), 3 rupen, 4– rype (8 Sc. ryp).
[OE. r{yacu}pan, app. related to Goth. raupjan, OHG. roufen (G. raufen), and to LG. ruppen, G. rupfen to pluck, pull. After OE. only in northern and Sc. use (but see 4 b).]
† 1. a. intr. To engage in robbery. Obs.
| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. vi. 19 Ðer ðeafas ofdelfes vel hrypes & forstealas. a 1023 Wulfstan Hom. (1883) 163 Hy herᵹiað & heawað,..rypað & reafiað & to scipe lædað. c 1205 Lay. 10584 Heo rupten, heo ræfden, noht heo ne bi-læfden. |
† b. trans. To rob or plunder (one). Obs.
| a 1000 in Thorpe Laws II. 320 Hy rypað þa earman butan ælcere scylde. c 1050 O.E. Chron. (MS. C) an. 1011, [Hi] hereᵹodon ure earme folc & hi rypton & sloᵹon. c 1065 Ibid. an. 1065, [He] rypte God ærost, & ealle þa bestrypte þe he ofer mihte. |
2. intr. To grope; to make search (for or after something hid).
| c 1325 Metr. Hom. (Small) 143 Til this forsaid arc he yod..And riped imang tha wormes lathe. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. v. xi. 2903 A mattok syne he tuk,..And wiþe þat ripit to þe grunde. 1530 Palsgr. 691/2, I rype in olde maters, je fouble. 1562 Pilkington Expos. Abdyas Pref. A a viij, As he that ripes in a dungehyll, is infect with the smell therof a longe time after. 1580 Reg. Privy Council Scot. III. 309 Thay rypit for the saidis guidis. 1640–1 Kirkcudbr. War-Comm. Min. Bk. (1855) 81 Ordaines the Captaines..to send their constables..to rype throw the parochess for suspectit gudes. 1814 in Chambers Pop. Hum. Scot. Poems (1862) 68 He rypit, maybe for his knife, I thought I saw it glancin. 1887 Stevenson Underwoods 77 It's possible..That some ane, ripin' after lear.., May find an' read me. |
3. trans. To search (a place, receptacle, etc.) in a thorough manner in order to find something; to rifle, ransack.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 4893 Yon er theues..folus þam to ripe þair war. c 1400 Rule St. Benet 36 Þair beddis sal þabbes ofte ripe. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. vi. iv. 315 Þe graf qwhar in Charllis Marschel lay Þai ripit, and þe body soucht. c 1460 Towneley Myst. xiii. 515 Now..Com and rype oure howse and then may ye se who had hir. 1535 Coverdale Obad. 6 But how shall they rype Esau, and seke out his treasures? 1590 Reg. Privy Council Scot. IV. 491 [They] sercheit the haill houssis,..and rypit all pairtis sa narrowlie as they could. 1659 in N. & Q. 6th Ser. VII. 264/2 Quhen the corporall was ryping me at the gate. 1676 Row Contn. Blair's Autobiog. xii. (1848) 540 Their houses were ryped but none were found. 1721 Ramsay Lucky Spence vi, Ryp ilka pouch frae nook to nook. a 1774 Fergusson Rising of the Session Poems (1845) 28 The benmost part o' my kist-nook I'll ripe for thee. 1824 Scott Redgauntlet let. xi, Sir John, when he had riped the turret weel, led my gudesire into the dining parlour. 1858–61 Ramsay Remin. ii. (1867) 30 The sacks of Joseph's brethren were ripit. |
| transf. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. iv. i. 91 As þai war þe grounde ripande, Off a man the hewide þai fande. 1513 Douglas æneis x. x. 134 Tharwythall the hyrnys of hys gost He rypyt wyth the swerd amyd his cost. |
† b. With up. To search out. Obs.—1
| ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 1877 Thare myght mene see the ryche ryde in the schawes, To rype vpe the Romaynez ruydlyche wondyde! |
4. To examine thoroughly; to investigate, scrutinize, search into.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 26702 Cums his freind ripand his state,..he sceus him all þat he wate. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 592 Rypande of vche a ring [= rink] þe reynyez & hert. 1513 Douglas æneis ii. iii. 29 Lefull is..Thair hid slycht als to rype furth to the ground. 1552 Abp. Hamilton Catech. (1884) 153 b, Examine, discus, serche, and rype weil thi conscience. a 1598 Rollock Wks. (1844) II. 271 It goes down to the inward affections to ripe and search them. 1637 Rutherford Lett. i. cliv. (1664) 307 Each man had need twice a day & oftner, to be ryped & searched with candles. 1822 Ainslie Land of Burns 108 Our bairnly recollections ryped and rummaged up. |
† b. With up. (Cf. rip v.2 4 b.) Obs.
| 1573 Satir. Poems Reform. xlii. 107, I sall rype vp the mater haill. 1690 W. Walker Idiomat. Anglo-Lat. 535 He ripes up (rehearses) what wrong his enemies had done him. 1695 Wood Life 9 Oct., There I began to ripe up all the matter, how unworthily he had dealt with me. |
5. To cleanse, clear out.
| 17.. Robin Hood & Beggar in Child Ballads III. 163/2 In the thick wood the beggar fled, Eer they riped their eyne. 1721 Ramsay Ode to the Ph— iii, Then fling on coals, and ripe the ribs. 1841 in Cath. News (1899) 3 June 15/4 She went afterwards to ‘ripe’ the fire. 1887 Service Life Dr. Duguid xii. 73 Robin ryped the dottle oot o' his pipe. 1895 W. C. Fraser Whaups xv. 209, I sometimes ripe oot Tammy's pipe. |
6. To break, dig, or plough up (ground).
| 1828 Craven Gloss., Rype, to break up rough and uncultivated ground. c 1882 in J. Lucas Stud. Nidderdale xxvii. 223 T'oade hoose..hez been pull'd doon, its foondation rip'd up. 1897 G. O. Elder Borgue 29 (E.D.D.), Ripin' up a' the bits of green hoams, and forcing wheat to grow. |
▪ VI. ripe
obs. form of reap n.2 and v.1