Temper

How to spell temper

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce temper

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does temper mean?

1. nounA person's tendency to become angry, or their state of mind at a given moment.
2. verbTo moderate or soften something so that it is less harsh or extreme.
3. verbTo toughen metal or glass by heating it and then cooling it in a controlled way.

Temper in a sentence

• noun

  He lost his temper when the meeting was cancelled for the third time.

• verb

  The editor tried to temper the harsh tone of the original report.

• verb

  The smith would temper the blade to give it the right hardness.

• noun

  She has a calm temper and rarely raises her voice under pressure.

• verb

  Good leaders temper ambition with patience and caution.

• verb

  Workers temper the steel before shaping it into tools.

Where does temper come from?

Language of origin: Latin

Temper comes from the Latin verb temperare, which meant to mix things in the right proportion, to moderate, or to keep within bounds. Old English borrowed it as temprian, meaning to bring something to a proper or balanced condition, and the word kept that core idea of correct mixture for centuries. From the sense of a balanced blend grew the meaning of a person's habitual mental balance, that is, their characteristic mood or disposition, which is why we still speak of a calm or a fiery temper today. The metalworking sense, where steel is brought to the right hardness by careful heating and cooling, preserves the original idea of adjusting something to its proper state. The same root also gives us temperature, temperate, and temperament, all carrying that notion of measured proportion, and remembering that family helps fix the -per ending rather than a tempting -par.

How the word is built

• temper (from Latin temperare: to mix or blend in proportion); the noun and verb senses share this single root