temper (ˈtɛmpə
)
Definitions
noun
- a frame of mind; mood or humour ⇒
a good temper
- a sudden outburst of anger; tantrum
- a tendency to exhibit uncontrolled anger; irritability
- a mental condition of moderation and calm (esp in the phrases keep one's temper, lose one's temper, out of temper)
- the degree of hardness, elasticity, or a similar property of a metal or metal object
verb (tr)
- to make more temperate, acceptable, or suitable by adding something else; moderate ⇒
he tempered his criticism with kindly sympathy
- to strengthen or toughen (a metal or metal article) by heat treatment, as by heating and quenching
- music
- to adjust the frequency differences between the notes of a scale on (a keyboard instrument) in order to allow modulation into other keys
- to make such an adjustment to the pitches of notes in (a scale)
- a rare word for adapt
- an archaic word for mix
Alternative Forms
ˈtemperable adjective ˌtemperaˈbility noun ˈtemperer nounWord Origin
Old English temprian to mingle, (influenced by Old French temprer ), from Latin temperāre to mix, probably from tempus timeSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
irritability,
anger,
irascibility,
passion,
resentment,
irritation,
annoyance,
petulance,
surliness,
ill humour,
peevishness,
hot-headedness,
=
frame of mind,
character,
nature,
attitude,
mind,
mood,
constitution,
humour,
vein,
temperament,
tenor,
disposition,
Translations
- British English:
temper
If you say that someone has a temper, you mean that they become angry very easily.I hope he can control his temper.ˈtɛmpə NOUN I hope he can control his temper.
- Spanish:
humor
nm
- French:
caractère
nm
- German:
Wut
nf
- Chinese: 脾气 n
- Arabic: مِزَاج n
- Portuguese: temperamento nm
- Russian: нрав nm
- Croatian: ćud nf
- Czech: vztek nm
- Danish: temperament nnt
- Dutch: humeur nnt
- Finnish: kiukku n
- Greek: ιδιοσυγκρασία nf
- Italian: carattere nm
- Japanese: かんしゃく n
- Korean: 화 n
- Norwegian: temperament nnt
- Polish: usposobienie nnt
- Brazilian Portuguese: temperamento nm
- European Spanish:
humor
nm
- Swedish: humör nnt
- Thai: อารมณ์โกรธ n
- Turkish: öfke patlaması n
- Vietnamese: cơn giận n
Usage examples
Clenching his fists, Todd took a deep breath to control his temper.
, Final Resort (1994)The loud-mouthed Spaniard added in The Mirror: He loses himself in his bad temper on the pitch, that is a big problem.
Megastar (2004)In recent days, Secretary of State Colin Powell has tried to temper speculation about future military action against Syria.
Globe and Mail (2003)But there are concerns about whether Britain will temper its support for the ICC.
Belfast Telegraph (2005)Therefore, Tigers must try to control their temper during this period of time.
, ROCKY SUNG'S GUIDE TO CHINESE ASTROLOGY AND FENG SHUI 2003 (2002)