TEMPERED • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Tempered

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/tˈɛmpərd/ Listen

verb

Temper v. t. (past & past part. tempered; pres. part. tempering)

To mingle in due proportion; to prepare by combining; to modify, as by adding some new element; to qualify, as by an ingredient; hence, to soften; to mollify; to assuage; to soothe; to calm. "Puritan austerity was so tempered by Dutch indifference, that mercy itself could not have dictated a milder system." "Woman! lovely woman! nature made thee To temper man: we had been brutes without you." "But thy fire Shall be more tempered, and thy hope far higher." "She (the Goddess of Justice) threw darkness and clouds about her, that tempered the light into a thousand beautiful shades and colors."

To fit together; to adjust; to accomodate. "Thy sustenance... serving to the appetite of the eater, tempered itself to every man's liking."

(Metal.) To bring to a proper degree of hardness; as, to temper iron or steel. "The tempered metals clash, and yield a silver sound."

To govern; to manage. (A Latinism & Obs.) "With which the damned ghosts he governeth, And furies rules, and Tartare tempereth."

To moisten to a proper consistency and stir thoroughly, as clay for making brick, loam for molding, etc.

(Mus.) To adjust, as the mathematical scale to the actual scale, or to that in actual use.

Synonyms: To soften; mollify; assuage; soothe; calm.

Temper v. i.

To accord; to agree; to act and think in conformity. (Obs.)

To have or get a proper or desired state or quality; to grow soft and pliable. "I have him already tempering between my finger and my thumb, and shortly will I seal with him."

adjective

Tempered adj. Brought to a proper temper; as, tempered steel; having (such) a temper; chiefly used in composition; as, a good-tempered or bad-tempered man; a well-tempered sword.

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Etymology of 'Tempered'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Tempered" Quotes from Famous Books

... and the "coronet" of which Arline had been so proud; and mingled with it was an undercurrent of shuffling feet, a mere whisper of sound, cut sharply now and then by the sharp commands of the floor manager. They were dancing—in her honor. And she was a fool; a proud, ill-tempered, selfish fool.. ...

— Lonesome Land • B. M. Bower

... published a book interesting as the biography of a remarkable individual, but no less interesting as depicting the crucial moment in the history of an aristocracy. Colonel Moore wisely entitles the life of his father simply An Irish Gentleman. Versatile, eloquent, quick-tempered and lovable, excessive in generosity, excessive in courage and self-confidence, with the racecourse for his ruling passion and horsemanship for his supreme achievement, George Henry Moore was the paragon of his class. He displayed in the highest degree those ...

— Irish Books and Irish People • Stephen Gwynn

... submitted by the committee and accepted by the board. A motion carried to the effect that power to act was left with the committee, as the classified list had not been received from the Exposition Company and the committee's use of "judgment" might be tempered with the blue ...

— Final Report of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission • Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission

... scarcely more consistent. The world thought him positive, decided, reckless; the record proved him to be cautious, careful, vacillating. Minister Adams took him for pugnacious and quarrelsome; the "Lives" of Russell, Gladstone, and Granville show him to have been good-tempered, conciliatory, avoiding quarrels. He surprised the Minister by refusing to pursue his attack on General Butler. He tried to check Russell. He scolded Gladstone. He discouraged Napoleon. Except Disraeli none of the English statesmen ...

— The Education of Henry Adams • Henry Adams

... got up, and went into the street, where the people were having their breakfasts under the trees, as the gentry do in the time of the races. It was a very animated scene. The morning was brilliant. A fine air tempered the coming warmth. The tables set out with creams and cakes under the trees, had a pretty country look, though the place was crowded. Everybody was laughing, chattering, and expecting; and the lasses, in their boddices and white sleeves, ...

— The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction - Vol. 19. No. 534 - 18 Feb 1832 • Various

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