ripeness means the characteristic of being ripe. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 82 out of 100.
Why “ripeness” is a great word
RIPENESS — [Noun] The state or condition of being fully developed and ready to be eaten, used, or acted upon. From Middle English ripenesse, rypenesse, rijpnesse, from Old English rīpness ("ripeness"), equivalent to ripe ("mature, ready") + -ness (noun-forming suffix denoting state or quality). Unlike "maturity," which implies a settled and general plateau, or "freshness," which suggests a pristine and initial vitality, ripeness describes a transient, optimal summit. It is the heavy give of a peach at the precise moment before the bruise, the deep, yielding color of a cheese that has waited long enough, and the charged silence just before a confession is made—a brief, fragrant equilibrium poised on the very edge of its own undoing.
Etymology
From Middle English ripenesse, rypenesse, rijpnesse, from Old English rīpness, equivalent to ripe + -ness.
noun
- The characteristic of being ripe.