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premature

[ pree-muh-choo r, -too r, -tyoo r, pree-muh-choo r or, esp. British, prem-uh-, prem-uh- ]
/ ˌpri məˈtʃʊər, -ˈtʊər, -ˈtyʊər, ˈpri məˌtʃʊər or, esp. British, ˌprɛm ə-, ˈprɛm ə- /
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adjective

occurring, coming, or done too soon: a premature announcement.
mature or ripe before the proper time.

noun

a premature infant.

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RELATED WORDS

immature, untimely, incomplete, hasty, ill-considered, abortive, embryonic, forward, green, inopportune, precipitate, previous, raw, soon, undeveloped, unripe, unanticipated, unfledged, half-baked, half-cocked

Nearby words

  1. prem,
  2. prem.,
  3. premalignant,
  4. premarin,
  5. premarital,
  6. premature birth,
  7. premature delivery,
  8. premature ejaculation,
  9. premature labor,
  10. premature systole

Origin of premature

From the Latin word praemātūrus, dating back to 1520–30. See pre-, mature
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for premature

British Dictionary definitions for premature

premature

/ (ˌprɛməˈtjʊə, ˈprɛməˌtjʊə) /

adjective

occurring or existing before the normal or expected time
impulsive or hastya premature judgment
(of an infant) weighing less than 2500 g (5 1/2 lbs) and usually born before the end of the full period of gestation
Derived Formsprematurely, adverbprematureness or prematurity, noun

Word Origin for premature

C16: from Latin praemātūrus, very early, from prae in advance + mātūrus ripe
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for premature

premature

adj.

mid-15c., from Latin praematurus "early ripe" (as fruit), "too early, untimely," from prae "before" (see pre-) + maturus "ripe, timely" (see mature (v.)). Related: Prematurely; prematurity; prematuration. Premature ejaculation is attested from 1848; Latin euphemism ejaculatio praecox dates to 1891 in English but was used earlier in German and appears to have been, at first at least, the psychologist's term for it.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for premature

premature

[ prē′mə-chur′, -tur′ ]

adj.

Occurring or developing before the usual or expected time.
Born after a gestation period of less than the normal time, especially, in human infants, after a period of less than 37 weeks.
Related formspre′ma•tu′ri•ty n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.