This little boy seems to have a temper.
- Temper is a state of mind, particularly one that is hostile or angry.
An example of temper is what someone loses when they gets excessively mad at even the simplest of problems.
- Temper is defined as to moderate or soften something or make it less intense.
An example of temper is to add white paint to a dark purple paint to make it a lighter color.
- to make suitable, desirable, or free from excess by mingling with something else; reduce in intensity, esp. by the admixture of some other quality; moderate; assuage; mollify: to temper criticism with reason
- to bring to the proper texture, consistency, hardness, etc. by mixing with something or treating in some way: to temper paints with oil, to temper steel by heating and sudden cooling, to temper clay by moistening and kneading
- to toughen, as by rigors or trying experiences
- Rare to fit; adapt
- Archaic to mix in proper proportions
- Music to adjust the pitch of (a note) or tune (an instrument) according to some temperament
Origin of temperMiddle English tempren ; from Old English temprian and amp; Old French temprer, both ; from Classical Latin temperare, to observe proper measure, mix, regulate, forbear ; from tempus (gen. temporis), time, period, origin, originally , a span ; from Indo-European an unverified form tempos, a span ; from an unverified form temp-, to pull ; from base an unverified form ten-, to stretch from source thin
- the state of being tempered; specif.,
- Archaic a properly proportioned mixture
- the state of a metal with regard to the degree of hardness and resilience
- frame of mind; disposition; mood: in a bad temper
- calmness of mind; composure: now only in the phrases lose one's temper and keep one's temper
- a tendency to become angry readily: to have a temper
- anger; rage: to go into a temper
- something used to temper a mixture, etc.
- the trend in thought and feeling (of an era, period, etc.); character: the temper of the times, the modern temper
- Archaic a middle course; mean
- Obs. character; quality
verbtem·pered, tem·per·ing, tem·pers
- To modify by the addition of a moderating element; moderate: “temper its doctrinaire logic with a little practical wisdom” (Robert H. Jackson). See Synonyms at moderate.
- To bring to a desired consistency, texture, hardness, or other physical condition by blending, admixing, or kneading: temper clay; paints that had been tempered with oil.
- To harden or strengthen (metal or glass) by application of heat or by heating and cooling.
- To strengthen through experience or hardship; toughen: soldiers who had been tempered by combat.
- Music To adjust (the pitch of an instrument) to a temperament.
- A state of mind or emotion; disposition: an even temper.
- Calmness of mind or emotions; composure: lose one's temper.
- a. A tendency to become easily angry or irritable: a quick temper.b. Anger; rage: a fit of temper.
- A characteristic general quality; tone: heroes who exemplified the medieval temper; the politicized temper of the 1930s.
- a. The condition of being tempered.b. The degree of hardness and elasticity of a metal, chiefly steel, achieved by tempering.
- A modifying substance or agent added to something else.
- Archaic A middle course between extremes; a mean.
Origin of temperMiddle English temperen, from Old English temprian, from Latin temper&amacron;re, probably from variant of tempus, tempor-, time, season.
- A tendency to be of a certain type of mood.
- to have a good, bad, calm, or hasty temper
- He has quite a (bad) temper when dealing with salespeople.
- State of mind.
- The state of any compound substance which results from the mixture of various ingredients; due mixture of different qualities.
- the temper of mortar
- The heat treatment to which a metal or other material has been subjected; a material that has undergone a particular heat treatment.
- Calmness of mind; moderation; equanimity; composure.
- to keep one's temper
- The state of a metal or other substance, especially as to its hardness, produced by some process of heating or cooling.
- the temper of iron or steel
- Middle state or course; mean; medium.
- (sugar manufacture, historical) Milk of lime, or other substance, employed in the process formerly used to clarify sugar.
(third-person singular simple present tempers, present participle tempering, simple past and past participle tempered)
- To moderate or control.
- Temper your language around children.
- To strengthen or toughen a material, especially metal, by heat treatment.
- Tempering is a heat treatment technique applied to metals, alloys, and glass to achieve greater toughness by increasing the strength of materials and/or ductility. Tempering is performed by a controlled reheating of the work piece to a temperature below its lower eutectic critical temperature.
- To sautÃ© spices in ghee or oil to release essential oils for flavouring a dish in South Asian cuisine.
- To mix clay, plaster or mortar with water to obtain the proper consistency.
- (music) To adjust, as the mathematical scale to the actual scale, or to that in actual use.
- (archaic) To combine in due proportions; to constitute; to compose.
- (archaic) To mingle in due proportion; to prepare by combining; to modify, as by adding some new element; to qualify, as by an ingredient; hence, to soften; to mollify; to assuage.