# temper

Pronunciation: US say "TEM-per" /ˈtɛmpɚ/; UK say "TEM-puh" /ˈtɛmpə/

## Noun

1. A tendency to become angry.
   - Simple: A habit of getting angry easily.
   - _The chef's temper was famous, and new cooks learned to stay out of his way._
   - _Behind the wheel, my usually gentle father shows a real temper._
2. Calm composure and moderation of mind.
   - Simple: The ability to stay calm instead of getting angry.
   - _The negotiator never lost her temper, no matter how hard the other side pushed._
   - _It took him a full minute of deep breaths to recover his temper._
3. Anger, or a fit of anger.
   - Simple: Anger, or a short time of being very angry.
   - _She stormed out in a temper and slammed the door behind her._
   - _Flashes of temper broke through his usual politeness during the meeting._
5. A state of mind or mood.
   - Simple: How someone feels at a certain time, their mood.
   - _The long delay left the passengers in an irritable temper._
   - _After a good night's sleep, she woke in a cheerful temper._
6. A general leaning toward a certain kind of mood, or a habitual way of thinking, behaving, or reacting.
   - Simple: The way a person usually feels and acts, such as calm or easily upset.
   - _The gentleness of her temper won over even the grumpiest neighbors._
   - _Twins can have very different tempers, one bold and the other shy._
9. The hardness or other condition of a metal or similar substance produced by heating or cooling, or the heat treatment that gives it.
   - Simple: How hard or tough a metal is after it has been heated or cooled.
   - _Overheating the blade on the grinder can ruin its temper._
   - _The two springs looked identical but had very different tempers._
14. A middle state or course between two extremes; a mean.
   - Simple: A middle point between two opposite things.
15. The state of a compound substance that results from how its ingredients are mixed; a due blending of different qualities.
   - Simple: How a mixture turns out, depending on what is mixed into it and in what amounts.
   - _The mason tested the temper of the mortar before laying the next course of bricks._
   - _Too much water spoiled the temper of the plaster, and it cracked as it dried._
16. A non-plastic material, such as sand, mixed into clay to keep it from shrinking and cracking as it dries or is fired.
   - Simple: Sand or other material mixed into clay so it does not shrink and crack when it dries or is baked.
   - _Crushed shell served as temper in much of the region's prehistoric pottery._
   - _Adding too little temper left the bricks prone to cracking in the kiln._
18. Milk of lime or another substance used in the former process of clarifying sugar.
   - Simple: Lime mixed with water, or something like it, once used to clean sugar cane juice.
   - _The sugar boiler stirred a measure of temper into the hot cane juice._
   - _Each copper had to be dosed with just the right amount of temper._

## Verb

4. To moderate something or keep it under control.
   - Simple: To make something less strong, or to keep it under control.
   - _The coach tempered his praise, reminding the team that the season was far from over._
   - _Investors should temper their expectations until the new product actually ships._
7. To toughen a material, especially metal or glass, by controlled heating and cooling, often reducing its brittleness.
   - Simple: To make metal or another material stronger or tougher by heating it.
   - _Knife makers temper each blade at a carefully chosen heat after hardening it._
   - _The factory tempers the glass for car windows so that it breaks into small, blunt pieces._
8. To change the temperature of an ingredient, such as eggs or chocolate, gradually so that it stays smooth and pleasing.
   - Simple: To slowly warm or cool food like eggs or chocolate so it stays smooth.
   - _Whisk a ladle of hot soup into the yolks to temper them before adding them to the pot._
   - _The pastry chef tempered the chocolate on a marble slab before dipping the strawberries._
10. To mix clay, plaster, or mortar with water until it has the proper consistency.
   - Simple: To mix clay or plaster with water until it is just right to use.
   - _Masons temper their mortar on site, adding water until it holds its shape on the trowel._
   - _Before throwing, she tempered the clay with water until it was soft enough to work._
11. In South Asian cooking, to sauté spices in ghee or oil so that they release their essential oils and flavor a dish.
   - Simple: In South Asian cooking, to fry spices in oil or ghee to bring out their flavor.
   - _Just before serving, temper cumin seeds and dried chilies in ghee and pour them over the lentils._
   - _The cook tempered curry leaves and mustard seeds until the kitchen filled with their scent._
13. In music, to adjust the pitches of a scale, bringing the mathematically pure scale into line with the one actually in use.
   - Simple: In music, to adjust the notes of a scale so they fit the scale people actually play.
   - _Keyboard tuners temper the fifths slightly narrow so that every key sounds acceptable._
   - _An equally tempered scale divides the octave into identical semitones._

## Verb

12. To blend things in due proportion; to modify or qualify something by adding another element; hence, to soften, soothe, or ease it. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To mix things in the right amounts, or to make something softer or milder by adding something else.
   - _The painter tempered his pigments with egg yolk before laying on the color._
   - _Brewers temper dark malt with paler grain to lighten the ale._
17. To combine in due proportions, and so to make up or compose something. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To put things together in the right amounts to make something.
20. To govern or manage. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To rule or manage something.
21. To fit things together, or to adjust or accommodate one thing to another. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To make something fit or suit something else.
   - _A wise teacher tempers each lesson to the pupils in front of her._
   - _Old joiners would temper each board to its neighbor until the seams all but vanished._

## Noun

19. Bodily constitution, understood in old medicine as the balance of the four humors. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The makeup of a person's body, once believed to depend on the mix of four body fluids.

## Origin

From Middle English temperen, from Old English ġetemprian, temprian, borrowed from Latin temperō ("to divide or proportion duly, moderate, regulate"), from tempus ("time, fit season"). Compare French tempérer; a doublet of tamper.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/temper (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).