tempered

Meanings

Adjective

• Having a specified disposition or temper.
• Pertaining to the metallurgical process for finishing metals.
• Pertaining to the industrial process for toughening glass, or to such toughened glass.
• Moderated or balanced by other considerations.
• Pertaining to the well-tempered scale, where the twelve notes per octave of the standard keyboard are tuned in such a way that it is possible to play music in any major or minor key and it will not sound perceptibly out of tune.

Verb

• Past of temper

Related

Opposite words

• untempered

Origin

• From Middle English tempred, itempered, ytempred, ytemprid, from Old English ġetemprod, past participle of Old English ġetemprian, equivalent to temper + -ed.
• Partly from Middle English temperd, temprede, from Old English temprode, first and third person singular preterit of Old English temprian; and partly from Middle English tempred, i-tempred, from Old English ġetemprod. Equivalent to temper + -ed.