well-temperedadj.

Brit.

/ˌwɛlˈtɛmpəd/, U.S.

/ˌwɛlˈtɛmpərd/

Forms: see well adv. and n.⁴ and temper v. and -ed suffix¹.

Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: well adv., temper v., -ed suffix¹.

Etymology: < well adv. + temper v. + -ed suffix¹.In sense 6 after German wohltemperirt (1722 in Das wohltemperirte Clavier, the title of a work by J. S. Bach; now wohltemperiert).

†a. Having a healthy, well-balanced physical constitution. Obsolete.In quot. 1340 figurative.In quot. a1500 with reference to the balance of bodily humours (cf. humour n. 1a).

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > [adjective] > of health: good > healthy

wholeeOE

isoundOE

i-sundfulc1000

ferec1175

soundc1175

fish-wholea1225

forthlyc1230

steadfasta1300

wella1300

safec1300

tidya1325

halec1330

quartc1330

well-faringc1330

well-tempered1340

well-disposeda1398

wealyc1400

furnished1473

mighty?a1475

quartful?c1475

good1527

wholesomea1533

crank1548

healthful1550

healthy1552

hearty1552

healthsome1563

well-affected?1563

disposed1575

as sound as a bell1576

firm1577

well-conditioned1580

sound1605

unvaletudinary1650

all right1652

valid1652

as sound as a (alsoany) roach1655

fair-like1663

hoddy1664

wanton1674

stout?1697

trig1704

well-hained1722

sprack1747

caller1754

sane1755

finely1763

bobbish1780

cleverly1784

right1787

smart1788

fine1791

eucratic1795

nobbling1825

as right as a trivet1835

first rate1841

in fine, good, high, etc., feather1844

gay1855

sprackish1882

game ball1905

abled1946

well-toned1952

a hundred per cent1960

oke1960

1340 Ayenbite (1866) 144 (MED) Þe herte þet onderuangþ þise yefþe [of love] onderuangþ ane zuete deau þet his makeþ springe ane zofte rote and wel y-tempred þet is guod loue.

a1500 ( J. Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. (Rawl.) (1898) 220 Rede coloure tokenyth complexcion wel temperit.

1533 T. Paynell tr. U. von Hutten De Morbo Gallico xxvi. f. 77 Theyr bodies well tempered and without fault.

1625 K. Long tr. J. Barclay Argenis iii. xi. 189 His wel-tempred veynes.

c1655 A. Sydney in 19th Cent. (1884) Jan. 63 Like a strong well-tempered stomach.

1711 Spectator 29 Mar. Cheerfulness of Mind, and Capacity for Business, are in great measure the Effects of a well-tempered Constitution.

a1716 R. South Serm. Several Occasions (1744) VIII. 99 He sends them into the world with a well-temper'd, and rightly-disposed body.

1743 R. Smalbroke Some Acct. J. Hough 16 The even Temper of his Mind bore so just a Proportion to his well-tempered Constitution of Body, as..to extend his Age to the Beginning of his Ninety-third Year.

1784 B. Cornwell Domest. Physician i. iii. 42 A right, constituted and well tempered body.

b. Originally: †having or characterized by a well-balanced mental temperament; measured, restrained (obsolete). In later use: having a pleasant, equable disposition; good-tempered. Also in extended use.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > mental health > [adjective]

in (one's right) witc1000

wittyc1000

wisec1290

well-tempered1340

reasonablec1400

safe1402

perfectc1440

well in (also of) one's witsa1450

right in one's geara1500

well-advised1532

sensed1549

unmad1570

well-advised1585

rational1598

solid1606

in one's (right) senses1613

formala1616

of (in) disposing mind or memory1628

compos mentis1631

righta1638

well-hinged1649

well-balanced1652

spacked1673

clear-headed1709

sane1721

unfantastic1794

unmaddened1797

pas si bête1840

lucid1843

unfantastical1862

clothed and in one's right mind1873

right-minded1876

ungiddy1904

clear1950

the mind > emotion > calmness > unexcitability > [adjective]

slowc1384

imperturbablea1475

sober-minded1534

well-staid1550

settled1557

sober1564

steady1602

unprovokable1646

good-tempered1685

inirritable1794

well-adjusted1809

unvolatile1823

inexcitable1828

unrufflable1828

churchwardenly1830

unruffable1837

unexcitable1839

unrousable1842

well-tempered1852

middle-aged1853

unsqueamish1893

unflappable1958

1340 Ayenbite (1866) 257 (MED) Zuo ssolde he by wel ytempred and amesured ine hyerþe and ine lhestinge.

1561 T. Norton tr. J. Calvin Inst. Christian Relig. iii. f. 238 A well tempered euennesse of mynde [L. bene temperata animi æquitate].

1595 E. Spenser Amoretti lxxxiv, in Amoretti & Epithalamion sig. F3^v Modest thoughts breathd from wel tempred sprites.

1657 J. Gauden in J. Watts Scribe, Pharisee To Rdr. sig. +4 One of the most learned, judicious, grave, and well tempered Divines in this County of Essex.

1691 H. Maydman Naval Speculations 199 Therefore, I wish him to furnish himself with a well-tempered Disposition, To be as Wise as a Serpent, and as Harmless as a Dove.

1710 J. Norris Treat. Christian Prudence viii. 347 Christian Wisdom..depends not so much upon great parts, as a willing and well-temper'd Mind.

1773 O. Goldsmith She stoops to Conquer ii. 44 Yet she appears to me a pretty well-tempered girl.

1790 G. Walker Serm. Var. Subj. II. xxv. 216 Christianity is a mild, pleasant, and well-tempered religion.

1852 G. Grote Hist. Greece IX. ii. lxxi. 193 A discreet and well-tempered officer.

1883 Harper's Mag. Mar. 538/2 Crowds were walking in the middle of the roadway—merry and well-tempered.

1944 Life 11 Sept. 25/1 Paris had never been forgotten as the wonderful, well-tempered city where the art of living was practiced better than it was in any other place on earth.

1977 Bull. Atomic Scientists Mar. 57/3 His personal representatives..have been well-tempered civil servants not overheard to pound the green negotiating tables.

1997 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 20 Feb. 51 (advt.) Lithe, strong, brainy Amherst woodswoman..desires hale, green, cerebral, well-tempered consort.

2. Of climate, the weather, etc.: temperate, mild; (of a place) having such a climate. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > fine weather > [adjective] > temperate (of weather or climate)

attemperatec1300

temprea1340

attemprec1400

temperablec1400

attemperedc1430

temperantc1440

temperate?a1475

well-tempered1496

1496 Bk. J. Mandeville (Pynson) sig. hiv^v The eyre there is nat so wel tempered as it is at the cyte of Suse.

1579 G. Fenton tr. F. Guicciardini Hist. Guicciardin viii. 442 The suretie and freedome of habitation in this climat so wel tempered.

1591 R. Southwell Marie Magdalens Funeral Teares f. 58^v A calme and well tempered day.

1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. ii. 439 Well-tempered Sumater Sub-equinoctial.

1616 G. Markham tr. C. Estienne et al. Maison Rustique (rev. ed.) iii. xxxv. 390 The Date-tree..craueth to haue a hot ayre and countrie, or at the least well tempered.

1681 N. Resbury Serm. before Queen at White-Hall 15 It was Sin that made the healthy and well temper'd Climate of Paradise too hot for our first Parents.

1701 tr. A. Dacier Wks. Plato Abridg'd II. 168 Their Seasons are so admirably well temper'd, that their Life is much longer than ours.

?1720 New Discov., or Old Secrets Revived 61 The Garden of the World for Plenty and Riches, being in it self so healthful and well tempered a Climate.

1845 F. Cochlan Hand-bk. for European Tourists 473/1 Moncalier, a superior town, in enjoyment of a well tempered climate.

a1881 E. A. Washburn Serm. (1882) xi. 139 The most perfect type of man is not seen in the ice-fields of the Pole, nor in the soft climate of the tropics, but in the middle zone, where the well-tempered air ripens all living things.

1911 P. L. Gile Rel. Calcareous Soils to Pineapple Chlorosis 232 Tunis, though a mild and well tempered country as regards climate, is above latitude 30°.

3. Of a government or system of government: restricted in authority, not absolute; suitably controlled, limited, or moderate; well-balanced. Also: belonging to such a government. Cf. temperate adj. 4. Now chiefly historical.

ΚΠ

1535 W. Marshall tr. Marsilius of Padua Def. of Peace i. viii. f. 20 Whiche of thyse wel tempered Regymentes is beste, and whiche of the vytyate or intemperate regymentes is the worste.

1579 G. Fenton in tr. F. Guicciardini Hist. Guicciardin Ep. Ded. sig. *iiij^v The Lorde..confirme in you to the comfort of your people, that course of well tempered gouernment, by the benefite whereof they haue so long time liued.

1617 Bp. J. Hall Quo Vadis? xxii. 88 Heere is that gracious and well-tempered gouernment, which no nation vnder heauen may dare once offer to parallell.

1686 F. Philipps Investigatio Jurium Antiquorum xxvii. 573 The Kingdom of England..hath been, for more than 1000 years, a well tempered Monarchy.

1745 Gen. Evening Post 26 Sept. 1/3 We are likely to enjoy a greater Share of Happiness from our own free and well-tempered Constitution, consisting of wholesome Laws.., under the Administration of the best of Princes.

1787 J. Adams Def. Constit. Govt. U.S.A. I. xlix. 322 They preferred a well-tempered aristocracy to all other governments.

1852 G. C. Lewis Treat. Methods Observ. Politics II. xv. 77 Aristotle often dwells upon the advantages of a well-tempered constitution, not running into extremes, but forming a just medium between the pretensions of different classes.

1948 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 18 Feb. 10/4 Only in a well-tempered democracy would such an appeal have much hope of success.

2012 S. Finger Contagious City ii. 26 Penn hoped that good men would maintain a well-tempered government that would, in turn, help make better subjects.

a. Of steel or a steel object: treated to have the right degree of hardness and elasticity. Cf. tempered adj. 1c.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > steel > [adjective] > hardened

oil-tempered?1440

well-tempered1566

tempered1663

Harveyized1892

Harveyed1894

cyanided1921

martempered1953

1566 T. Blundeville Bredynge of Horses xxix. f.11, in Fower Offices Horsemanshippe The shoe being made of wel tempered stuffe, weareth equallye in all parts.

1597 C. Middleton Famous Hist. Chinon iii. sig. D2^v His well tempered sword.

c1662 in F. P. Verney & M. M. Verney Mem. Verney Family 17th Cent. (1907) II. 263 A well-tempered Turkish or Persian Scymeterre.

1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis xi, in tr. Virgil Wks. 560 His Back and Breast, Well temper'd Steel, and scaly Brass invest.

1776 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall I. 13 He drew his sword..a short well-tempered Spanish blade.

1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 735 The pallet-knife is mostly a thin well-tempered blade of steel.

1851 New Monthly Mag. Apr. 398 The well-tempered blade of the ‘Schläger’, renowned in the ‘renownings’ of Germany's bellicose students.

1924 Pop. Sci. Monthly Sept. 104/3 The blade may be..a piece of steel cut from an old saw blade, or similar hard, well-tempered steel.

2003 M. L. King Renaissance in Europe iv. 110 Art, like fine wool cloth or well-tempered steel, was bought and sold.

b. figurative and in figurative contexts: strong, durable; (also, esp. of speech or writing) sharp, cutting. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > manner of action > lack of violence, severity, or intensity > [adjective] > become or made less violent or severe

temperate1398

alleviate1531

mitigated1546

mollified1581

swageda1603

well-tempered1602

castigate1642

tempered1654

slackened1725

castigated1728

temperated1737

subsided1753

moderated1773

chastised1790

softened1794

mildeneda1802

modulateda1806

relaxed1825

chastened1844

1602 J. Marston Antonios Reuenge ii. ii. sig. C4^v His breast's of such well tempered proofe, It may be rac'd, not pearc't by sauage tooth Of foaming malice.

1620 T. Matthew tr. St. John of Avila Audi Filia ix. 39 What a strong, and well tempered weapon Prayer is.

1662 J. Gauden in R. Hooker Wks. Epist. to King sig. A3^v Agreeable to right Reason and true Religion (which makes this well-tempered Peice a file capable to break the teeth of any that venture to bite it).

1744 J. Thomson Winter in Seasons (new ed.) 220 That Wit..which, with Attic Point, And kind well-temper'd Satire, smoothly keen, Steals through the Soul, and without Pain corrects.

1820 N.-Y. Lit. Jrnl. 15 June 120/2 Wit and good humour have moulded it [sc. satire] into a polished, well-tempered weapon for the chastisement of vice and folly.

1850 Graham's Mag. Jan. 98/2 Strong, well tempered shafts of wit Her [sc. beauty's] chains will often sever.

1902 H. Maudsley Life in Mind & Conduct viii. 247 Its terse and pregnant sentence, well-tempered and sharp-pointed, penetrates easily.

5. Of clay, mortar, etc.: thoroughly or properly mixed or worked.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > cement or mortar > [adjective] > well-mixed

well-tempered1583

1583 L. Mascall tr. Profitable Bk. Spottes & Staines 73 Lay it round, a finger thick with good clay, which clay must be wel tempered.

1607 G. Markham Cavelarice vi. 53 Dride sinewes, of an Oxe well tasled and mixt with well tempered glewe.

1647 J. Brinsley Stand Still 91 Good stone or brick well couched and cemented with well tempered mortar.

1688 G. Parker & J. Stalker Treat. Japaning xx. 61 Take good, tough, well tempered Clay, and with your tools model and work out any sort of Carving which you fancie.

1712 J. Mortimer Art of Husbandry: Pt. II xiv. v. 124 Apply a pretty quantity of well-tempered Mortar round about it.

1797 C. Dawson Don Poem 8 The walls are remarkably strong, being built with well-tempered lime.

1840 C. Howard Farming at Wauldby 120 in Brit. Husbandry (Libr. Useful Knowl.) III On this lime a bed of well-tempered clay is directly laid.

1891 Bull. Univ. Wisconsin Agric. Exper. Station No. 43. 9 So thoroughly wet as to be as plastic and easily shaped as well-tempered putty.

1920 M. E. Laing Hero of Longhouse ii. xvi. 150 The quick, deft hands took the powder made of broken jars and mixed it with clay, kneading the mass until it was smooth and well tempered.

1999 P. King Archit. Ceramics v. 56/3 To throw an applied section, such as a sink rim, requires well-tempered plastic clay.

6. Music. Of a musical instrument, scale, or system of tuning: based on or tuned according to equal temperament (temperament n. 10). Cf. just-tempered adj. at just adj. Compounds 3.Originally in translations of German Das wohltemperirte Clavier, the title of Bach's double set of 48 Preludes and Fugues in each of the keys. Modern scholarship considers Bach's use of the term simply to have signified a tuning system suitable for all 24 keys, which may or may not have been what is now understood as equal temperament.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > tuning or intonation > [adjective] > specific system of tuning

tempered1728

well-tempered1820

isotonic1828

mesotonic1864

commatic1875

schistic1875

tertian1875

temperate1876

1820 tr. J. N. Forkel Life J. S. Bach 93 The well-tempered clavichord [Ger. Das wohltemperirte Clavier]; or preludes and fugues in all the keys.

1824 Dict. Musicians I. 48/2 Many of Bach's pieces composed for the harpsichord, also have a fine effect on a manual organ, particularly most of his forty-eight fugues in the ‘Well tempered Clavier’.

1875 Eng. Mechanic & World of Sci. 27 Nov. 276/1 A well tempered scale thus obtained might cause the hearers of their performances to ‘fret’ less than the wild intonation of some fiddlers.

1904 E. Hansing-Perzina tr. S. Hansing Pianoforte & its Acoustic Properties iii. 41 The equable and well tempered tuning of our pianos hinders the perception of the extent of such differences in tone proportions.

1970 W. Apel Harvard Dict. Music (rev. ed.) 412/2 Modern piano tuning is based on the pure octave and the well-tempered fifth.

2006 J. L. Hartong Musical Terms World Wide 99 The modern well-tempered scale was introduced to enable easy modulation between distantly related keys.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2014; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

单词	well-tempered
释义	well-temperedadj. Brit. /ˌwɛlˈtɛmpəd/, U.S. /ˌwɛlˈtɛmpərd/ Forms: see well adv. and n.⁴ and temper v. and -ed suffix¹. Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: well adv., temper v., -ed suffix¹. Etymology: < well adv. + temper v. + -ed suffix¹.In sense 6 after German wohltemperirt (1722 in Das wohltemperirte Clavier, the title of a work by J. S. Bach; now wohltemperiert). 1. †a. Having a healthy, well-balanced physical constitution. Obsolete.In quot. 1340 figurative.In quot. a1500 with reference to the balance of bodily humours (cf. humour n. 1a). ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > [adjective] > of health: good > healthy wholeeOE isoundOE i-sundfulc1000 ferec1175 soundc1175 fish-wholea1225 forthlyc1230 steadfasta1300 wella1300 safec1300 tidya1325 halec1330 quartc1330 well-faringc1330 well-tempered1340 well-disposeda1398 wealyc1400 furnished1473 mighty?a1475 quartful?c1475 good1527 wholesomea1533 crank1548 healthful1550 healthy1552 hearty1552 healthsome1563 well-affected?1563 disposed1575 as sound as a bell1576 firm1577 well-conditioned1580 sound1605 unvaletudinary1650 all right1652 valid1652 as sound as a (alsoany) roach1655 fair-like1663 hoddy1664 wanton1674 stout?1697 trig1704 well-hained1722 sprack1747 caller1754 sane1755 finely1763 bobbish1780 cleverly1784 right1787 smart1788 fine1791 eucratic1795 nobbling1825 as right as a trivet1835 first rate1841 in fine, good, high, etc., feather1844 gay1855 sprackish1882 game ball1905 abled1946 well-toned1952 a hundred per cent1960 oke1960 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 144 (MED) Þe herte þet onderuangþ þise yefþe [of love] onderuangþ ane zuete deau þet his makeþ springe ane zofte rote and wel y-tempred þet is guod loue. a1500 ( J. Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. (Rawl.) (1898) 220 Rede coloure tokenyth complexcion wel temperit. 1533 T. Paynell tr. U. von Hutten De Morbo Gallico xxvi. f. 77 Theyr bodies well tempered and without fault. 1625 K. Long tr. J. Barclay Argenis iii. xi. 189 His wel-tempred veynes. c1655 A. Sydney in 19th Cent. (1884) Jan. 63 Like a strong well-tempered stomach. 1711 Spectator 29 Mar. Cheerfulness of Mind, and Capacity for Business, are in great measure the Effects of a well-tempered Constitution. a1716 R. South Serm. Several Occasions (1744) VIII. 99 He sends them into the world with a well-temper'd, and rightly-disposed body. 1743 R. Smalbroke Some Acct. J. Hough 16 The even Temper of his Mind bore so just a Proportion to his well-tempered Constitution of Body, as..to extend his Age to the Beginning of his Ninety-third Year. 1784 B. Cornwell Domest. Physician i. iii. 42 A right, constituted and well tempered body. b. Originally: †having or characterized by a well-balanced mental temperament; measured, restrained (obsolete). In later use: having a pleasant, equable disposition; good-tempered. Also in extended use. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > mental health > [adjective] in (one's right) witc1000 wittyc1000 wisec1290 well-tempered1340 reasonablec1400 safe1402 perfectc1440 well in (also of) one's witsa1450 right in one's geara1500 well-advised1532 sensed1549 unmad1570 well-advised1585 rational1598 solid1606 in one's (right) senses1613 formala1616 of (in) disposing mind or memory1628 compos mentis1631 righta1638 well-hinged1649 well-balanced1652 spacked1673 clear-headed1709 sane1721 unfantastic1794 unmaddened1797 pas si bête1840 lucid1843 unfantastical1862 clothed and in one's right mind1873 right-minded1876 ungiddy1904 clear1950 the mind > emotion > calmness > unexcitability > [adjective] slowc1384 imperturbablea1475 sober-minded1534 well-staid1550 settled1557 sober1564 steady1602 unprovokable1646 good-tempered1685 inirritable1794 well-adjusted1809 unvolatile1823 inexcitable1828 unrufflable1828 churchwardenly1830 unruffable1837 unexcitable1839 unrousable1842 well-tempered1852 middle-aged1853 unsqueamish1893 unflappable1958 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 257 (MED) Zuo ssolde he by wel ytempred and amesured ine hyerþe and ine lhestinge. 1561 T. Norton tr. J. Calvin Inst. Christian Relig. iii. f. 238 A well tempered euennesse of mynde [L. bene temperata animi æquitate]. 1595 E. Spenser Amoretti lxxxiv, in Amoretti & Epithalamion sig. F3^v Modest thoughts breathd from wel tempred sprites. 1657 J. Gauden in J. Watts Scribe, Pharisee To Rdr. sig. +4 One of the most learned, judicious, grave, and well tempered Divines in this County of Essex. 1691 H. Maydman Naval Speculations 199 Therefore, I wish him to furnish himself with a well-tempered Disposition, To be as Wise as a Serpent, and as Harmless as a Dove. 1710 J. Norris Treat. Christian Prudence viii. 347 Christian Wisdom..depends not so much upon great parts, as a willing and well-temper'd Mind. 1773 O. Goldsmith She stoops to Conquer ii. 44 Yet she appears to me a pretty well-tempered girl. 1790 G. Walker Serm. Var. Subj. II. xxv. 216 Christianity is a mild, pleasant, and well-tempered religion. 1852 G. Grote Hist. Greece IX. ii. lxxi. 193 A discreet and well-tempered officer. 1883 Harper's Mag. Mar. 538/2 Crowds were walking in the middle of the roadway—merry and well-tempered. 1944 Life 11 Sept. 25/1 Paris had never been forgotten as the wonderful, well-tempered city where the art of living was practiced better than it was in any other place on earth. 1977 Bull. Atomic Scientists Mar. 57/3 His personal representatives..have been well-tempered civil servants not overheard to pound the green negotiating tables. 1997 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 20 Feb. 51 (advt.) Lithe, strong, brainy Amherst woodswoman..desires hale, green, cerebral, well-tempered consort. 2. Of climate, the weather, etc.: temperate, mild; (of a place) having such a climate. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > fine weather > [adjective] > temperate (of weather or climate) attemperatec1300 temprea1340 attemprec1400 temperablec1400 attemperedc1430 temperantc1440 temperate?a1475 well-tempered1496 1496 Bk. J. Mandeville (Pynson) sig. hiv^v The eyre there is nat so wel tempered as it is at the cyte of Suse. 1579 G. Fenton tr. F. Guicciardini Hist. Guicciardin viii. 442 The suretie and freedome of habitation in this climat so wel tempered. 1591 R. Southwell Marie Magdalens Funeral Teares f. 58^v A calme and well tempered day. 1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. ii. 439 Well-tempered Sumater Sub-equinoctial. 1616 G. Markham tr. C. Estienne et al. Maison Rustique (rev. ed.) iii. xxxv. 390 The Date-tree..craueth to haue a hot ayre and countrie, or at the least well tempered. 1681 N. Resbury Serm. before Queen at White-Hall 15 It was Sin that made the healthy and well temper'd Climate of Paradise too hot for our first Parents. 1701 tr. A. Dacier Wks. Plato Abridg'd II. 168 Their Seasons are so admirably well temper'd, that their Life is much longer than ours. ?1720 New Discov., or Old Secrets Revived 61 The Garden of the World for Plenty and Riches, being in it self so healthful and well tempered a Climate. 1845 F. Cochlan Hand-bk. for European Tourists 473/1 Moncalier, a superior town, in enjoyment of a well tempered climate. a1881 E. A. Washburn Serm. (1882) xi. 139 The most perfect type of man is not seen in the ice-fields of the Pole, nor in the soft climate of the tropics, but in the middle zone, where the well-tempered air ripens all living things. 1911 P. L. Gile Rel. Calcareous Soils to Pineapple Chlorosis 232 Tunis, though a mild and well tempered country as regards climate, is above latitude 30°. 3. Of a government or system of government: restricted in authority, not absolute; suitably controlled, limited, or moderate; well-balanced. Also: belonging to such a government. Cf. temperate adj. 4. Now chiefly historical. ΚΠ 1535 W. Marshall tr. Marsilius of Padua Def. of Peace i. viii. f. 20 Whiche of thyse wel tempered Regymentes is beste, and whiche of the vytyate or intemperate regymentes is the worste. 1579 G. Fenton in tr. F. Guicciardini Hist. Guicciardin Ep. Ded. sig. iiij^v The Lorde..confirme in you to the comfort of your people, that course of well tempered gouernment, by the benefite whereof they haue so long time liued. 1617 Bp. J. Hall Quo Vadis?* xxii. 88 Heere is that gracious and well-tempered gouernment, which no nation vnder heauen may dare once offer to parallell. 1686 F. Philipps Investigatio Jurium Antiquorum xxvii. 573 The Kingdom of England..hath been, for more than 1000 years, a well tempered Monarchy. 1745 Gen. Evening Post 26 Sept. 1/3 We are likely to enjoy a greater Share of Happiness from our own free and well-tempered Constitution, consisting of wholesome Laws.., under the Administration of the best of Princes. 1787 J. Adams Def. Constit. Govt. U.S.A. I. xlix. 322 They preferred a well-tempered aristocracy to all other governments. 1852 G. C. Lewis Treat. Methods Observ. Politics II. xv. 77 Aristotle often dwells upon the advantages of a well-tempered constitution, not running into extremes, but forming a just medium between the pretensions of different classes. 1948 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 18 Feb. 10/4 Only in a well-tempered democracy would such an appeal have much hope of success. 2012 S. Finger Contagious City ii. 26 Penn hoped that good men would maintain a well-tempered government that would, in turn, help make better subjects. 4. a. Of steel or a steel object: treated to have the right degree of hardness and elasticity. Cf. tempered adj. 1c. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > steel > [adjective] > hardened oil-tempered?1440 well-tempered1566 tempered1663 Harveyized1892 Harveyed1894 cyanided1921 martempered1953 1566 T. Blundeville Bredynge of Horses xxix. f.11, in Fower Offices Horsemanshippe The shoe being made of wel tempered stuffe, weareth equallye in all parts. 1597 C. Middleton Famous Hist. Chinon iii. sig. D2^v His well tempered sword. c1662 in F. P. Verney & M. M. Verney Mem. Verney Family 17th Cent. (1907) II. 263 A well-tempered Turkish or Persian Scymeterre. 1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis xi, in tr. Virgil Wks. 560 His Back and Breast, Well temper'd Steel, and scaly Brass invest. 1776 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall I. 13 He drew his sword..a short well-tempered Spanish blade. 1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 735 The pallet-knife is mostly a thin well-tempered blade of steel. 1851 New Monthly Mag. Apr. 398 The well-tempered blade of the ‘Schläger’, renowned in the ‘renownings’ of Germany's bellicose students. 1924 Pop. Sci. Monthly Sept. 104/3 The blade may be..a piece of steel cut from an old saw blade, or similar hard, well-tempered steel. 2003 M. L. King Renaissance in Europe iv. 110 Art, like fine wool cloth or well-tempered steel, was bought and sold. b. figurative and in figurative contexts: strong, durable; (also, esp. of speech or writing) sharp, cutting. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > lack of violence, severity, or intensity > [adjective] > become or made less violent or severe temperate1398 alleviate1531 mitigated1546 mollified1581 swageda1603 well-tempered1602 castigate1642 tempered1654 slackened1725 castigated1728 temperated1737 subsided1753 moderated1773 chastised1790 softened1794 mildeneda1802 modulateda1806 relaxed1825 chastened1844 1602 J. Marston Antonios Reuenge ii. ii. sig. C4^v His breast's of such well tempered proofe, It may be rac'd, not pearc't by sauage tooth Of foaming malice. 1620 T. Matthew tr. St. John of Avila Audi Filia ix. 39 What a strong, and well tempered weapon Prayer is. 1662 J. Gauden in R. Hooker Wks. Epist. to King sig. A3^v Agreeable to right Reason and true Religion (which makes this well-tempered Peice a file capable to break the teeth of any that venture to bite it). 1744 J. Thomson Winter in Seasons (new ed.) 220 That Wit..which, with Attic Point, And kind well-temper'd Satire, smoothly keen, Steals through the Soul, and without Pain corrects. 1820 N.-Y. Lit. Jrnl. 15 June 120/2 Wit and good humour have moulded it [sc. satire] into a polished, well-tempered weapon for the chastisement of vice and folly. 1850 Graham's Mag. Jan. 98/2 Strong, well tempered shafts of wit Her [sc. beauty's] chains will often sever. 1902 H. Maudsley Life in Mind & Conduct viii. 247 Its terse and pregnant sentence, well-tempered and sharp-pointed, penetrates easily. 5. Of clay, mortar, etc.: thoroughly or properly mixed or worked. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > cement or mortar > [adjective] > well-mixed well-tempered1583 1583 L. Mascall tr. Profitable Bk. Spottes & Staines 73 Lay it round, a finger thick with good clay, which clay must be wel tempered. 1607 G. Markham Cavelarice vi. 53 Dride sinewes, of an Oxe well tasled and mixt with well tempered glewe. 1647 J. Brinsley Stand Still 91 Good stone or brick well couched and cemented with well tempered mortar. 1688 G. Parker & J. Stalker Treat. Japaning xx. 61 Take good, tough, well tempered Clay, and with your tools model and work out any sort of Carving which you fancie. 1712 J. Mortimer Art of Husbandry: Pt. II xiv. v. 124 Apply a pretty quantity of well-tempered Mortar round about it. 1797 C. Dawson Don Poem 8 The walls are remarkably strong, being built with well-tempered lime. 1840 C. Howard Farming at Wauldby 120 in Brit. Husbandry (Libr. Useful Knowl.) III On this lime a bed of well-tempered clay is directly laid. 1891 Bull. Univ. Wisconsin Agric. Exper. Station No. 43. 9 So thoroughly wet as to be as plastic and easily shaped as well-tempered putty. 1920 M. E. Laing Hero of Longhouse ii. xvi. 150 The quick, deft hands took the powder made of broken jars and mixed it with clay, kneading the mass until it was smooth and well tempered. 1999 P. King Archit. Ceramics v. 56/3 To throw an applied section, such as a sink rim, requires well-tempered plastic clay. 6. Music. Of a musical instrument, scale, or system of tuning: based on or tuned according to equal temperament (temperament n. 10). Cf. just-tempered adj. at just adj. Compounds 3.Originally in translations of German Das wohltemperirte Clavier, the title of Bach's double set of 48 Preludes and Fugues in each of the keys. Modern scholarship considers Bach's use of the term simply to have signified a tuning system suitable for all 24 keys, which may or may not have been what is now understood as equal temperament. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > tuning or intonation > [adjective] > specific system of tuning tempered1728 well-tempered1820 isotonic1828 mesotonic1864 commatic1875 schistic1875 tertian1875 temperate1876 1820 tr. J. N. Forkel Life J. S. Bach 93 The well-tempered clavichord [Ger. Das wohltemperirte Clavier]; or preludes and fugues in all the keys. 1824 Dict. Musicians I. 48/2 Many of Bach's pieces composed for the harpsichord, also have a fine effect on a manual organ, particularly most of his forty-eight fugues in the ‘Well tempered Clavier’. 1875 Eng. Mechanic & World of Sci. 27 Nov. 276/1 A well tempered scale thus obtained might cause the hearers of their performances to ‘fret’ less than the wild intonation of some fiddlers. 1904 E. Hansing-Perzina tr. S. Hansing Pianoforte & its Acoustic Properties iii. 41 The equable and well tempered tuning of our pianos hinders the perception of the extent of such differences in tone proportions. 1970 W. Apel Harvard Dict. Music (rev. ed.) 412/2 Modern piano tuning is based on the pure octave and the well-tempered fifth. 2006 J. L. Hartong Musical Terms World Wide 99 The modern well-tempered scale was introduced to enable easy modulation between distantly related keys. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2014; most recently modified version published online December 2021). < adj.1340
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