distemper
distemper Lexical Profile
distemper Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A contagious, often fatal viral disease affecting dogs, cats, and certain other mammals, characterized by fever, respiratory and gastrointestinal inflammation, and neurological disorders.
"The veterinarian recommended vaccinating the young puppy against distemper before taking him to public parks."
A type of water-based paint in which the pigments are mixed with water and a binding medium such as glue, size, or egg white, traditionally used for decorating plaster walls and theatrical scenery.
"The conservation team carefully cleaned the nineteenth-century ceiling mural that had been painted in distemper."
A disordered or disturbed condition of the body or mind, or a state of political or social unrest (archaic or literary).
"Historical pamphlets from the seventeenth century frequently described the civil crisis as a grave distemper of the state."
• verb
To paint or coat a wall or surface with distemper.
"The stagehands spent the afternoon distempering the canvas backdrops for the upcoming theatrical production."
To derange, disorder, or upset the health, mind, or bodily humors of someone (archaic).
"Early physicians believed that excessive worry could easily distemper the delicate balance of the human mind."
• Rhymes for distemper
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Old French destemprer and Medieval Latin distemperare ('to disturb the proper balance of the bodily humors' or 'to soak or mix'), formed from Latin dis- ('apart' or 'badly') and temperare ('to mingle in due proportion').