| 释义 |
pre·mature
I. \|prē chiefly Brit |pre+\ adjective
Etymology: Latin praematurus very early, too early, untimely, from prae- pre- + maturus ripe, mature
1. obsolete : mature or ripe before the proper or usual time
2.
a. : happening, arriving, existing, or performed before the proper or usual time : adopted, arriving, or received too soon : to early : untimely
< a premature fall of snow >
< premature reports >
b.
(1) of a human infant : born after a gestation period of less than 37 weeks or sometimes with a birth weight between two and five and one half pounds irrespective of the length of gestation
(2) : of, relating to, or for the use of a premature infant
< premature diets >
II. noun
(-s)
: something that comes, happens, or occurs before the expected time: as
a. : an infant prematurely born
b. : a shell that bursts before the desired time
III. intransitive verb
: to explode prematurely — used especially of a bomb or torpedo |