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temperate

tem·pe·rate

UK/ˈtɛmpəɹət/ US/ˈtɛmpɜrʌt/ uncommon obsolete

adjective

1.

(of weather or climate) free from extremes; mild; or characteristic of such weather or climate

  • “a temperate region”
  • “the temperate zones”
  • “temperate plants”
Antonyms
Similar
2.

not extreme in behavior

  • “temperate in his habits”
  • “a temperate response to an insult”
  • “temperate in his eating and drinking”
Antonyms
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3.

not extreme

  • “a moderate penalty”
  • “temperate in his response to criticism”
Synonyms
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Origin

The adjective is first attested in 1380, in Middle English, the verb in 1540; borrowed from Latin temperātus, perfect passive participle of temperō (“to moderate, forbear, combine properly”), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (verb-forming suffix). See temper. Displaced native Old English ġemetegod.

Phrases

  • temperate rainforest
  • temperate zone

Related words

Word family

See also

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.