Other forms: maturities
Maturity is being fully grown, in body or in judgement. Reach maturity, emotional maturity, show maturity.
Of a person it usually means judgement rather than age, and it is high praise in a young person and expected in an older one. In biology it is the point of being able to reproduce. In finance, maturity is the date a bond or a policy pays out, and maturity date is the technical term. Note mature, immature; and that maturity in cheese and wine means the flavour having fully developed.
1nounmaturityBeing fully grown, in body or in judgement.
“He showed real maturity at about the age of nineteen.”
2noundateThe date an investment pays out.
“The savings bond pays out at maturity, with interest added.”
maturity is a state of full development.
Latin maturitas comes from maturus, ripe or timely. Ripeness and the right moment were one idea, which is why maturity covers fruit, judgement and a bond falling due.
Latin
maturitas
Old French
maturité
Middle English
maturitee
English, today
maturity
From Middle English maturitee, maturyte, from Old French maturité, from Latin maturitas. by surface analysis, mature + -ity.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA