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| tem·per [ témpər ] |
noun (plural tem·pers) |
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1. tendency to anger: a tendency to get angry easily and suddenly
  has quite a temper
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2. angry state: a state of anger or annoyance
got himself into a terrible temper
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3. emotional condition: an emotional condition or predisposition of a particular kind
an even temper
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4. calm state: a state of calm and balance
lost his temper
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5. metallurgy hardness of metal: the degree of hardness of a metal
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6. additive: something added to improve the consistency or strength of something
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transitive verb (past and past participle tem·pered, present participle tem·per·ing, 3rd person present singular tem·pers) |
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| Definition: |
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1. soften something: to make something less harsh or unacceptable, especially by adding something to it
temper criticism with kindness
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2. make somebody stronger: to make somebody stronger through exposure to hardship
tempered by combat duty
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3. strengthen material: to improve the consistency of something, e.g. glass by heating it or by adding something to it
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4. harden metal: to harden metal by heating it to very high temperatures and then cooling it
temper steel
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5. music tune early keyboard instrument: to tune a baroque keyboard instrument so that consistent harmonic intervals are achieved throughout its range
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| [Pre-12th century. < Latin temperare "mix, restrain yourself" < tempus "time"] |
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