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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.

Having a good temper; not easily vexed. See Good-natured.

Unhealthy; ill-conditioned. [Obs.] So ill-tempered I am grown, that I am afraid I shall catch cold, while all the world is afraid to melt away. Pepys.

the taste; tart; having the taste of vinegar: as, acid fruits or liquors. Also fig.: Sour-tempered. He was stern and his face as acid as ever. A. Trollope.

Caustic; bitter-tempered' sarcastic; as, acrimonious dispute, language, temper.

by mixture; to temper; to regulate, as temperature. If sweet with bitter . . . were not attempered still. Trench.

Tempered; proportioned; properly adapted. Hope must be . . . attemperate to the promise. Hammond.

Destruction; death. [Obs.] The cup of deception spiced and tempered to their bane. Milton.

That which restrains or confines as a girdle. He cannot buckle his distempered cause Within the belt of rule. Shak.

Choleric; passionate; ill tempered. "A bilious old nabob." Macaulay. Bilious temperament. See Temperament.

A block or clay tempered with water, sand, etc., molded into a regular form, usually rectangular, and sun-dried, or burnt in a kiln, or in a heap or stack called a clamp. The Assyrians appear to have made much less use of bricks baked in the furnace than the Babylonians. Layard.

The cutting tool of an engraver on metal, used in line engraving. It is made of tempered steel, one end being ground off obliquely so as to produce a sharp point, and the other end inserted in a handle; a graver; also, the similarly shaped tool used by workers in marble.

Steel blue; of the color of tempered steel.

fy; to moderate; to soften. [Obs.] The antidotes . . . have allayed its bitterness and contempered its malignancy. Johnson.

The condition of being tempered; proportionate mixture; temperature. [Obs.] The different contemperature of the elements. SDouth.

ionate; to change the due proportions of. [Obs.] When . . . the humors in his body ben distempered. Chaucer.

Distempered state; distemperature. [Obs.] Feltham.

Moving easily; hence, mild-tempered; ease-loving; inactive.

Cross-tempered; scornful. [Obs.]

Having a cheerful spirit and demeanor; good-tempered. See Good- natured.