temper

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)A general tendency or orientation towards a certain type of mood, a volatile state; a habitual way of thinking, behaving or reacting.

   “to have a good, bad, or calm temper”

   “A noble temper dost thou show in this;”

   “And it was peculiar in their Temper, that they were fonder of what they could get by Rapine or Stealth at a greater diſtance, than much better Food provided for them at home.”

   “[…] when she smiled, the Sweetness of her Temper diffused that Glory over her Countenance, which no Regularity of Features can give.”

   “I am of a cautious temper, and unwilling to risk my happiness in a hurry.”

2. (countable, uncountable)State of mind; mood.

   “Remember with what mild / And gracious temper he both heard and judg’d / Without wrauth or reviling;”

   “[…] I must testify from my Experience, that a Temper of Peace, Thankfulness, Love and Affection, is much more the proper Frame for Prayer than that of Terror and Discomposure;”

   “[H]er temper was fluctuating; joy for a few instants shone in her eyes, but it continually gave place to distraction and reverie.”

   “‘You should be careful not to irritate her, James. Her temper has been soured, remember, and ought not to be tried.’”

   “She bowed to him, to put him in a good temper.”

3. (countable, uncountable)A tendency to become angry.

   “to have a hasty temper”

   “He has quite a temper when dealing with salespeople.”

   ““I guess you’ve got a spice of temper,” commented Mr. Harrison, surveying the flushed cheeks and indignant eyes opposite him.”

   “‘What a temper you’ve got, Wormold.’ ‘I’m sorry. Drink takes me that way.’”

   “His criticism of Inés makes him bristle. Nonetheless, he holds his temper in check.”

4. (countable, uncountable)Anger; a fit of anger.

   “an outburst of temper”

   “When I heard about it I got myself into a terrible temper.”

   “Hortense remained for several days in a condition of sullen anger—she was a cloud lit up by occasional unaccountable flashes of temper.”

   “Jill suddenly flew into a temper (which is quite a likely thing to happen if you have been interrupted in a cry).”

   “[…] she banged the door as she left as though in temper and walked to her car.”

5. (countable, uncountable)Calmness of mind; moderation; equanimity; composure.

   “to keep one's temper; to lose one's temper; to recover one's temper”

   “Reſtore your ſelues, vnto your temper, Fathers; / And, vvithout perturbation, heare me ſpeake: […]”

   “Teach me like thee, in various Nature wiſe, / To fall with Dignity, with Temper riſe; [...]”

   ““And I think, madam,” said the Lord Keeper, losing his accustomed temper and patience, “that if you had nothing better to tell us, you had better have kept this family secret to yourself also.””

   “[H]er temper was rarely ruffled, and, if we might judge by her appearance, she was always happy.”

6. (countable, obsolete, uncountable)Constitution of body; the mixture or relative proportion of the four humours: blood, choler, phlegm, and melancholy.

   “[…] it is hard to say, whether [Christ’s] pain was more shamefull, or his shame more painfull unto him: the exquisiteness of his bodily temper, increasing the exquisiteness of his torment, and the ingenuity of his Soul, adding to his sensibleness of the indignities and affronts offered until him.”

7. (countable, uncountable)Middle state or course; mean; medium.

   “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. (countable, uncountable)The state of any compound substance which results from the mixture of various ingredients; due mixture of different qualities.

   “the temper of mortar”

9. (countable, uncountable)The heat treatment to which a metal or other material has been subjected; a material that has undergone a particular heat treatment.
10. (countable, uncountable)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”

    “Between two blades, which bears the better temper: […] / I have perhaps some shallow spirit of judgement; / But in these nice sharp quillets of the law, / Good faith, I am no wiser than a daw.”

11. (countable, historical, uncountable)Milk of lime, or other substance, employed in the process formerly used to clarify sugar.

    “1803, John Browne Cutting, “A Succinct History of Jamaica” in Robert Charles Dallas, The History of the Maroons, London: Longman and Rees, Volume 1, pp. xciv-xcv, All cane juice is liable to rapid fermentation. As soon, therefore, as the clarifier is filled, the fire is lighted, and the temper (white lime of Bristol) is stirred into it. The alkali of the lime having neutralized its superabundant acid, a part of it becomes the basis of the sugar.”

12. (countable, uncountable)A non-plastic material, such as sand, added to clay to prevent shrinkage and cracking during drying or firing; tempering.

verb

1. To moderate or control.

   “Temper your language around children.”

   “It is all very well tempering enthusiasm for the Report in most of its particulars, as the thinking press has since the debate, [...].”

   “Rail Minister Lord Hendy was quizzed by the same MPs at an earlier hearing. He maintained that the Bill gave Mayors "much enhanced power" and preserved the existing processes by which rail services can be devolved. "The intention, more widely, is to work collaboratively with all devolved leaders to meet local needs," he said. "It has to be tempered by the reality, which is that the railway network is not generally consistent with mayoral boundaries. […]".”

2. To strengthen or toughen a material, especially metal, by heat treatment; anneal.

   “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.”

   “The temper'd metals clash, and yield a silver sound.”

3. To adjust the temperature of an ingredient (e.g. eggs or chocolate) gradually so that it remains smooth and pleasing.
4. To sauté spices in ghee or oil to release essential oils for flavouring a dish in South Asian cuisine.
5. To mix clay, plaster or mortar with water to obtain the proper consistency.
6. To adjust, as the mathematical scale to the actual scale, or to that in actual use.
7. (Latinism, obsolete)To govern; to manage.

   “With which the damned ghosts he governeth, / And furies rules, and Tartare tempereth.”

8. (archaic)To combine in due proportions; to constitute; to compose.

   “You fools! I and my fellows / Are ministers of fate: the elements / Of whom your swords are temper'd may as well / Wound the loud winds, or with bemock'd-at stabs / Kill the still-closing waters, as diminish / One dowle that's in my plume; […]”

9. (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.

   “Puritan austerity was so tempered by Dutch indifference, that mercy itself could not have dictated a milder system.”

   “1682 (first performance), Thomas Otway, Venice Preserv'd 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 colours.”

10. (obsolete)To fit together; to adjust; to accommodate.

    “Thy sustenance […] serving to the appetite of the eater, tempered itself to every man's liking.”