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   premature

   /ˈprɛmətʃə/

   adjective

   • 1. occurring or done before the usual or proper time; too early: "the sun can cause premature ageing" Similar untimelyearlytoo soontoo earlybefore timearchaic:unseasonablerashoverhastyhastytoo soonprecipitateprecipitousimpulsiveimpetuousill-timedill-consideredinformal:jumping the gunpreviousOpposite overdue
   • ▪ (of a baby) born before the end of the full term of gestation, especially three or more weeks before: "the child was three weeks premature" Similar preterminformal:prempreemieOpposite overduelate

   Word Origin late Middle English (in the sense ‘ripe, mature’): from Latin praematurus ‘very early’, from prae ‘before’ + maturus ‘ripe’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. prematurity noun
   • 2. prematureness noun

   Scrabble Points: 13

   • P

     3

   • R

     1

   • E

     1

   • M

     3

   • A

     1

   • T

     1

   • U

     1

   • R

     1

   • E

     1

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