Contemperate

/kənˈtɛmpərət/ adjective

Definition

Moderate, well-balanced, or properly proportioned; showing restraint and good judgment.

Etymology

From contemper plus -ate (adjective suffix). Following the Latin root temperate, this word maintains the sense of proper moderation and balanced proportion.

Kelly Says

This adjective is vanishingly rare in modern English, having been entirely superseded by 'temperate'—but it occasionally appears in historical texts describing people of measured character and balanced temperament.

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