Premature Meaning
/ˌpɹɛ.məˈtjʊə/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjOccurring before a state of readiness or maturity has arrived.
adjTaking place earlier than anticipated, prepared for, or desired.
Sentence Examples
It is premature to discuss it now.
It is premature to put the plan into practice now.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The baby was born ____ at only twenty-six weeks of pregnancy.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The baby was born six weeks ____ and spent the first month in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Word Origin & History
From Latin praemātūrus, equivalent to pre- + mature. First use appears c. 1440 in a translation of Palladius's De Re Rustica.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"I was lost in reveries of death, and the idea of premature burial held continual possession of my brain."
— 1844, Edgar Allan Poe, The Premature Burial:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The baby was born ____ at only twenty-six weeks of pregnancy.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The baby was born six weeks ____ and spent the first month in the neonatal intensive care unit.