distemper

C2+ Topic:Food & Drink

US /dɪsˈtɛmpər/ UK /dɪsˈtɛmpə/ See IPA manual

noun verb

Meanings

1

noun
a contagious viral disease of animals; also a water-based paint

The puppy was vaccinated against distemper at eight weeks.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a contagious viral disease... disorder ailment malady indisposition derangementill humor

Opposites

health temperance equilibrium

Word family

Derived forms distempered

Related forms temper temperament temperate

Etymology

From Medieval Latin distemperare ('to mix badly, disturb the balance of humors'), from dis- ('un-') + temperare ('to mingle in proper proportion, regulate'). The animal-disease and house-paint senses both descend from the notion of disordered or mixed proportions.

distemperare Latin temperare Latin

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Food & Drink Word Formation & Derivatives

# distemper

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** dɪsˈtɛmpər
**IPA (UK):** dɪsˈtɛmpə

## Meanings
1. a contagious viral disease of animals; also a water-based paint

## Examples
- The puppy was vaccinated against distemper at eight weeks.

## Synonyms
- disorder
- ailment
- malady
- indisposition
- derangement
- ill humor

## Antonyms
- health
- temperance
- equilibrium

## Derived Forms
- distempered

## Related Forms
- temper
- temperament
- temperate

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: distemperare
- Root: temperare

## Etymology
From Medieval Latin distemperare ('to mix badly, disturb the balance of humors'), from dis- ('un-') + temperare ('to mingle in proper proportion, regulate'). The animal-disease and house-paint senses both descend from the notion of disordered or mixed proportions.

## AI Etymology
Distemper is from Medieval Latin distemperare ('to mix badly, disturb the balance of humors'), from dis- ('un-') + temperare ('to mingle in proper proportion, regulate'). The animal-disease and house-paint senses both descend from the notion of disordered or mixed proportions. The ancestry passes through Latin distemperare and Latin temperare. The prefix dis- often marks separation, reversal, or negation in Latin and English formations, helping to explain the word's surface structure. In present use as noun and verb, it means "a contagious viral disease of animals; also a water-based paint", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include temper, temperament, and temperate; derived forms include distempered.

## Topics
- Food & Drink
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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