distemper
noun
[ dɪˈstɛmpə ]
• a viral disease of some animals, especially dogs, causing fever, coughing, and catarrh.
• political disorder.
• "an attempt to illuminate the moral roots of the modern world's distemper"
Origin:
mid 16th century (originally in the sense ‘bad temper’, later ‘illness’): from Middle English distemper ‘upset, derange’, from late Latin distemperare ‘soak, mix in the wrong proportions’, from dis- ‘thoroughly’ + temperare ‘mingle’. Compare with temper. distemper1 (sense 1) dates from the mid 18th century.
distemper
noun
• a kind of paint using glue or size instead of an oil base, for use on walls or for scene-painting.
distemper
verb
• paint with distemper.
• "they distempered the walls a brilliant blue"
Origin:
late Middle English (originally as a verb in the senses ‘dilute’ and ‘steep’): from Old French destremper or late Latin distemperare ‘soak’.
