Tempered

How to spell tempered

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce tempered

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does tempered mean?

1. adjectiveTreated by controlled heating and cooling to make metal or glass stronger and more resilient.
2. adjectiveMade less extreme; softened or balanced by adding a counteracting quality.

Tempered in a sentence

• The shower screen is made from tempered glass that resists shattering.

• Her criticism was firm but tempered with genuine encouragement.

• A knife with a finely tempered steel blade keeps its edge for years.

• The report offered a tempered assessment rather than alarming headlines.

Where does tempered come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb temperare, which meant 'to mix in due proportion', and by extension 'to regulate, restrain, or moderate'. The same root gave rise to ideas of balance and self-control, which is why we still speak of a person's 'temper' as the balance of their moods. The verb entered Old English as temprian, meaning to bring something into the right condition, and was later reinforced by Old French temprer. Two practical senses grew from the single idea of careful adjustment: moderating something by mixing or softening it, and treating metal or glass by controlled heating and cooling so it reaches the ideal hardness. The unstressed middle vowel, the schwa in the '-ered' ending, is the main spelling pitfall, since it carries no clue to the missing 'e'.

How the word is built

• temper- (from Latin temperare: to mix in proportion, moderate)
• -ed (past tense / adjective suffix)