rareripe
Definition
Noun:
- An early-ripening fruit or vegetable, particularly one that matures before the usual season.
Adjective:
- Describing a plant or its produce that ripens early, ahead of the typical time.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- The farmer harvested the rareripe apples in late June, weeks before the main crop. (An early-ripening apple variety.)
- These rareripe tomatoes are perfect for a summer salad, as they come to market sooner than others. (Early-ripening tomatoes.)
Adjective:
- The rareripe corn was ready for picking by mid-July. (Corn that ripened early.)
- We planted a rareripe variety of peach to enjoy fruit earlier in the season. (A peach variety that matures early.)
Advanced Usage
"rareripe crop": a harvest of early-maturing produce.
- The rareripe crop of strawberries was sold at a premium price. (Early strawberries fetched a higher market price.)
"to be rareripe": to describe a fruit or vegetable that ripens earlier than expected.
- These plums are rareripe, so we need to pick them now before they spoil. (The plums have ripened ahead of schedule.)
Variants and Related Words
Rathe-ripe (adj): an alternative spelling of "rareripe," meaning the same — ripening early.
- The rathe-ripe pears were the first to fall from the tree. (Early-ripening pears.)
Early-ripening (adj): a synonym for "rareripe," describing produce that matures quickly.
- Early-ripening varieties are often chosen for short growing seasons. (Varieties that ripen early.)
Synonyms
- Precocious: maturing or developing early (used for plants as well as animals).
- Early: occurring before the usual time.
Related Idioms
- First fruits: the earliest results or produce of something.
- These rareripe cherries are the first fruits of our orchard this year. (The earliest cherries to ripen.)
- Ahead of the season: ripening or occurring before the typical seasonal time.
- The rareripe melons came ahead of the season, surprising the gardeners. (Melons that ripened early.)