Part 3310

<h1>Distemper</h1> <Xpage=434>

<hw>Dis*tem"per</hw>, <tt>n.</tt> <ety>[See <er>Distemper</er>, <tt>v. t.</tt>, and cf. <er>Destemprer</er>.]</ety>

<p><b>1.</b> <def>An undue or unnatural temper, or disproportionate mixture of parts.</def>

<i>Bacon.</i>

<note>&hand; This meaning and most of the following are to be referred to the Galenical doctrine of the four "humors" in man. See <er>Humor</er>. According to the old physicians, these humors, when unduly tempered, produce a disordered state of body and mind.</note>

<p><b>2.</b> <def>Severity of climate; extreme weather, whether hot or cold.</def> <mark>[Obs.]</mark>

<blockquote>Those countries . . . under the tropic, were of a <b>distemper</b> uninhabitable. <i>Sir W. Raleigh.</i></blockquote>

<p><b>3.</b> <def>A morbid state of the animal system; indisposition; malady; disorder; -- at present chiefly applied to diseases of brutes; <as>as, a <ex>distemper</ex> in dogs; the horse <ex>distemper</ex>; the horn <ex>distemper</ex> in cattle.</as></def>

<blockquote>They heighten <b>distempers</b> to diseases. <i>Suckling.</i></blockquote>

<p><b>4.</b> <def>Morbid temper of the mind; undue predominance of a passion or appetite; mental derangement; bad temper; ill humor.</def> <mark>[Obs.]</mark>

<blockquote>Little faults proceeding on <b>distemper</b>. <i>Shak.</i></blockquote>

<blockquote>Some frenzy <b>distemper</b> had got into his head. <i>Bunyan.</i></blockquote>

<p><b>5.</b> <def>Political disorder; tumult.</def>

<i>Waller.</i>

<p><b>6.</b> <fld>(Paint.)</fld> <sd>(a)</sd> <def>A preparation of opaque or body colors, in which the pigments are tempered or diluted with weak glue or size (cf. <er>Tempera</er>) instead of oil, usually for scene painting, or for walls and ceilings of rooms.</def> <sd>(b)</sd> <def>A painting done with this preparation.</def>

<syn>Syn. -- Disease; disorder; sickness; illness; malady; indisposition; ailment. See <er>Disease</er>.</syn>

<h1>Distemperance</h1> <Xpage=434>

<hw>Dis*tem"per*ance</hw> <tt>(?)</tt>, <tt>n.</tt> <def>Distemperature.</def> <mark>[Obs.]</mark>

<h1>Distemperate</h1> <Xpage=434>

<hw>Dis*tem"per*ate</hw> <tt>(?)</tt>, <tt>a.</tt> <ety>[LL. <ets>distemperatus</ets>, p. p.]</ety>

<p><b>1.</b> <def>Immoderate.</def> <mark>[Obs.]</mark>

<i>Sir W. Raleigh.</i>

<p><b>2.</b> <def>Diseased; disordered.</def> <mark>[Obs.]</mark>

<i>Wodroephe.</i>

<h1>Distemperately</h1> <Xpage=434>

<hw>Dis*tem"per*ate*ly</hw>, <tt>adv.</tt> <def>Unduly.</def> <mark>[Obs.]</mark>

<h1>Distemperature</h1> <Xpage=434>

<hw>Dis*tem"per*a*ture</hw> <tt>(?; 135)</tt>, <tt>n.</tt> <p><b>1.</b> <def>Bad temperature; intemperateness; excess of heat or cold, or of other qualities; <as>as, the <ex>distemperature</ex> of the air</as>.</def> <mark>[Obs.]</mark>