Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “ripen” come from?

Ripen comes from Middle English ripenen, whose ultimate origin and earliest meaning remain uncertain.

ripen (English): to grow ripe; to become mature; To approach or...

Definitions

  1. to grow ripe; to become mature; To approach or...

Ancestry of “ripen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishripenen—
2Old Englishripian—
3Old English-ianForms verbs from nouns and adjectives
4Old English-ōjan—
5Proto-West Germanic-ōnCreates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates...
6Proto-Germanic-ōnąCreates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates...
7Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
8Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
9Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
10Chichewaiyehe, she

Words derived from “ripen”

  • ripener
  • ripeneth
  • overripen
  • ripenest
  • enripen
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