Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
late-ripening

late-ripening

5.6
A plant or fruit that becomes ripe late in the growing season, often in fall
  • adjective
  • Specialized
translation icon : de maduración tardía
  • By ripening in mid-August, these grapes handily fill a gap between the early-ripening Flame Seedless and the late-ripening Crimson Seedless.

Examples

  • The late-ripening variety of grapes is perfect for making dessert wine as they develop rich flavors in the fall.

  • These later-ripening pears generally will keep well into January.

    Blog text (13)

  • Our late ripening variety is the evergreen huckleberry, Vaccinium ovatum, and it's often available right around Thanksgiving.

    Blog text (6)

  • These late-ripening apples are usually harvested in October and taste sweetest after a frost.

  • Farmers love late-ripening pears because they can be picked later in the season when demand is high.

How Early

primeur
  • UK
9.9
late-ripening
  • Specialized
5.6

Surface Forms

late-ripening positive

Morphology

late-ripening = late + ripening (transparent) = late + ripen + ing

The adjective is a straightforward compound of 'late' + the participial form 'ripening', meaning 'ripening late'.

Etymology

Late-ripening comes from two simple words: late, meaning 'after the usual time', and ripening, from ripen, meaning 'become ready or sweet', like a 'ripe' banana. So a late-ripening plant or fruit is one that becomes ready later in the growing season, often in the fall.