dis·tem·per 1 
(dĭs-tĕmpər)
(dĭs-tĕmpər)n.
1. Any of various infectious diseases of animals, especially:
a. canine distemper.
b. feline panleukopenia.
2. An illness or disease; an ailment: "He died ... of a broken heart, a distemper which kills many more than is generally imagined" (Henry Fielding).
3. Ill humor; testiness.
4. Disorder or disturbance, especially of a social or political nature.
tr.v. dis·tem·pered, dis·tem·per·ing, dis·tem·pers
1. To put out of order.
2. Archaic To unsettle; derange.
[From Middle English distemperen, to upset the balance of the humors, from Old French destemprer, to disturb, from Late Latin distemperāre : Latin dis-, dis- + Latin temperāre, to mix properly.]