July 3, 2011 - Word of the Day: ripe

This picture is from a cherry tree I planted a couple of years ago. This year it has cherries! The word "ripe" is an adjective that describes the quality of fruit when it is ready to be picked and eaten:

• These cherries look like they're ripe.
• You can tell fruit is ripe by the way it looks and by the way it tastes.
• The plums aren't going to be ripe until August.

When you use the word "ripe" as a verb, add an "n" to make the word "ripen."

• Cherries ripen very quickly in early summer.
• Apples ripen in late summer and early fall.
• Strawberries ripened in June.

There are more words here.