Premature

Premature

Adjective · /ˌpremə'tjʊə/ · occurring or done before the proper or usual time

Definition

Premature means happening, arriving, or done before the correct, expected, or appropriate time. In medicine, a premature baby is one born before 37 weeks of gestation — before the normal forty-week term. In general use, premature describes any action, judgement, or event that occurs too early: a premature announcement, a premature conclusion, a premature end. It always implies that the timing is wrong — something has come before it was ready or before it was justified.

Origin

From Latin praematurus — ripening too early, too hasty — from prae (before) + maturus (ripe, mature, timely). The word entered English in the 15th century. The same root maturus gives us mature, maturity, and the idea of ripeness as a metaphor for readiness. Premature therefore carries within it the image of fruit picked before it is ready — useful before its time, but not quite right yet.