First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
1distemper
verb dis·tem·per \dis-ˈtem-pər\
Definition of DISTEMPER
transitive verb
1
: to throw out of order
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Origin of DISTEMPER
Middle English distempren, from Late Latin distemperare to temper badly, from Latin dis- + temperare to temper
2distemper
noun
Definition of DISTEMPER
1
: bad humor or temper
2
: a disordered or abnormal bodily state especially of quadruped mammals: as a : a highly contagious virus disease of canines and especially of dogs that is caused by a morbillivirus (species Canine distemper virus) and is marked by fever, leukopenia, and respiratory, gastrointestinal, and neurological symptoms —called also canine distemper b : strangles c : panleukopenia
3
: ailment, disorder <vice and folly are situated not in human nature … but in distempers of intellect — George Stade>
— dis·tem·per·ate \-p(ə-)rət\ adjective
First Known Use of DISTEMPER
1546
3distemper
noun
Definition of DISTEMPER
1
: a process of painting in which the pigments are mixed with an emulsion of egg yolk, with size, or with white of egg as a vehicle and which is used for painting scenery and murals
2
a : the paint or the prepared ground used in the distemper process b : a painting done in distemper
3
: any of various water-based paints
Origin of DISTEMPER
obsolete distemper, verb, to dilute, mix to produce distemper, from Middle English, from Anglo-French destemprer, from Latin dis- + temperare
First Known Use: 1632
4distemper
verb
Definition of DISTEMPER
transitive verb
: to paint in or with distemper
First Known Use of DISTEMPER
circa 1873
Medical Dictionary
distemper
noun dis·tem·per \dis-ˈtem-pər\
Medical Definition of DISTEMPER
: a disordered or abnormal bodily state especially of quadruped mammals: as a : a highly contagious virus disease especially of dogs that is marked by fever, leukopenia, and respiratory, gastrointestinal, and neurological symptoms and that is caused by a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus (species Canine distemper virus)—called also canine distemper b : strangles c : panleukopenia d : a severe frequently fatal infectious nasopharyngeal inflammation of rabbits
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