distemperature

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UK/dɪsˈtɛmpəɹətj(ʊ)ə/

noun

A state of adverse or unhealthy atmospheric conditions.

Scrabble 19
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Meanings

noundistemperature (countable and uncountable, plural distemperatures)

plural distemperatures

  1. archaiccountableuncountableA state of adverse or unhealthy atmospheric conditions.
  2. archaiccountableuncountableUnhealthy imbalance of bodily humours; a disorder.

    Standing waters, thick and ill-coloured, […] cause foul distemperatures in the body and mind of man […]

    1621, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy, New York: New York Review Books, published 2001, →ISBN, page 224

Origin

From dis- + temperature.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

distemperature. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/distemperature

MLA

“distemperature.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/distemperature. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “distemperature,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/distemperature.

Source: distemperature on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.