Definition of "ripening" []

• The process of becoming ripe. (noun)
• Present participle of ripen. (verb)

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• "Their white Ale is a clear Wort made from pale Malt, and fermented with what they call ripening, which is a Composition, they say, of the Flower of Malt, Yeast and Whites of Eggs, a _Nostrum_ made and sold only by two or three in those Parts, but the Wort is brewed and the Ale vended by many of the Publicans; which is drank while it is fermenting in Earthen Steens, in such a thick manner as resembles butter'd Ale, and sold for Twopence"
• "Start with a fresh shrimp so the ripening is gradual."
• "But sometimes the story is a bit late in ripening, and it's only when I see it laid out in bookform that I can see it clearly."