Feeling angry, irritable, or upset; also, having a disease or imbalance in the body or mind.
From dis- (opposite) + tempered (from Latin temperare, to mix in proper proportions). Originally meant physically or mentally out of balance; evolved to mean emotionally disturbed or ill-humored.
In medieval medicine, people believed the body had four 'humors' that needed proper balance—being 'distempered' meant these humors were out of whack, which could literally make you sick or angry! This word captures an era when emotions and illness were seen as deeply connected.
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