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Temper   /tˈɛmpər/   Listen
noun
Temper  n.  
1.
The state of any compound substance which results from the mixture of various ingredients; due mixture of different qualities; just combination; as, the temper of mortar.
2.
Constitution of body; temperament; in old writers, the mixture or relative proportion of the four humors, blood, choler, phlegm, and melancholy. "The exquisiteness of his (Christ's) bodily temper increased the exquisiteness of his torment."
3.
Disposition of mind; the constitution of the mind, particularly with regard to the passions and affections; as, a calm temper; a hasty temper; a fretful temper. "Remember with what mild And gracious temper he both heared and judged." "The consequents of a certain ethical temper."
4.
Calmness of mind; moderation; equanimity; composure; as, to keep one's temper. "To fall with dignity, with temper rise." "Restore yourselves to your tempers, fathers."
5.
Heat of mind or passion; irritation; proneness to anger; in a reproachful sense. (Colloq.)
6.
The state of a metal or other substance, especially as to its hardness, produced by some process of heating or cooling; as, the temper of iron or steel.
7.
Middle state or course; mean; medium. (R.) "The perfect lawgiver is a just temper between the mere man of theory, who can see nothing but general principles, and the mere man of business, who can see nothing but particular circumstances."
8.
(Sugar Works) Milk of lime, or other substance, employed in the process formerly used to clarify sugar.
Temper screw, in deep well boring, an adjusting screw connecting the working beam with the rope carrying the tools, for lowering the tools as the drilling progresses.
Synonyms: Disposition; temperament; frame; humor; mood. See Disposition.


verb
Temper  v. t.  (past & past part. tempered; pres. part. tempering)  
1.
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; to soothe; to calm. "Puritan austerity was so tempered by Dutch indifference, that mercy itself could not have dictated a milder system." "Woman! lovely woman! nature made thee To temper man: we had been brutes without you." "But thy fire Shall be more tempered, and thy hope far higher." "She (the Goddess of Justice) threw darkness and clouds about her, that tempered the light into a thousand beautiful shades and colors."
2.
To fit together; to adjust; to accomodate. "Thy sustenance... serving to the appetite of the eater, tempered itself to every man's liking."
3.
(Metal.) To bring to a proper degree of hardness; as, to temper iron or steel. "The tempered metals clash, and yield a silver sound."
4.
To govern; to manage. (A Latinism & Obs.) "With which the damned ghosts he governeth, And furies rules, and Tartare tempereth."
5.
To moisten to a proper consistency and stir thoroughly, as clay for making brick, loam for molding, etc.
6.
(Mus.) To adjust, as the mathematical scale to the actual scale, or to that in actual use.
Synonyms: To soften; mollify; assuage; soothe; calm.


Temper  v. i.  
1.
To accord; to agree; to act and think in conformity. (Obs.)
2.
To have or get a proper or desired state or quality; to grow soft and pliable. "I have him already tempering between my finger and my thumb, and shortly will I seal with him."





Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48


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"Temper" Quotes from Famous Books



... multiplicity of orders, happened frequently. He might have fared worse had not Red George always stood his friend, and Red George was an authority in Pine Tree Gulch—powerful in frame, reckless in bearing and temper, he had been in a score of fights and had come off them, if not unscathed, at least victorious. He was notoriously a lucky digger, but his earnings went as fast as they were made, and he was always ready ...
— Among Malay Pirates - And Other Tales Of Adventure And Peril • G. A. Henty
... said Gaston, losing all control of his temper. Then reflecting that this very energy in defending her might compromise Madeleine, he said, more calmly, "I beg your lordship to pause before you insult Mademoiselle Melanie. I know something of her history. She bears an unblemished ...
— Fairy Fingers - A Novel • Anna Cora Mowatt Ritchie
... laisser-passer fail me. During the final days of the siege, when the temper and endurance of the Belgian defenders were strained almost to the breaking-point, I motored out to witness the German assault on the forts near Willebroeck. With me were Captain Raymond Briggs of the United States army ...
— Fighting in Flanders • E. Alexander Powell
... the blood fairly spouted out—got her in the leg, and she lost her temper, and began lashing out. Hunt, with great presence of mind, threw a bucket of water over them both. And as soon as they were quiet, dear, good, demure little Tank was put in between them ...
— Letters to Helen - Impressions of an Artist on the Western Front • Keith Henderson
... say to himself: 'My father knows of all this vice at schools, and yet has not said one word to me about it. He has warned me about most things. He told me to be truthful, to keep my temper, to be upright and manly, to say my prayers; he pressed me never to get into debt, never to drink, and never to use bad language; and he told me I ought to change my boots and clothes when wet, so as not to get ...
— The Power of Womanhood, or Mothers and Sons - A Book For Parents, And Those In Loco Parentis • Ellice Hopkins


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