- (v.t.) A morbid state of the animal system; indisposition; malady; disorder; -- at present chiefly applied to diseases of brutes; as, a distemper in dogs; the horse distemper; the horn distemper in cattle.
- (v.t.) To deprive of temper or moderation; to disturb; to ruffle; to make disaffected, ill-humored or malignant.
- (v.t.) Severity of climate; extreme weather, whether hot or cold.
- (v.t.) A preparation of opaque or body colors, in which the pigments are tempered or diluted with weak glue or size (cf. Tempera) instead of oil, usually for scene painting or for walls and ceilings of rooms.
- (v.t.) To temper or mix unduly; to make disproportionate; to change the due proportions of.
- (v.t.) To intoxicate.
- (v.t.) To derange the functions of, whether bodily, mental or spiritual; to disorder; to disease.
- (v.t.) Morbid temper of the mind; undue predominance of a passion or appetite; mental derangement; bad temper; ill humor.
- (v.t.) A painting done with this preparation.
- (v.t.) Political disorder; tumult.
- (v.t.) To mix (colors) in the way of distemper; as, to distemper colors with size.
- (v.t.) An undue or unnatural temper or disproportionate mixture of parts.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). distemper. Retrieved September 23, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/distemper/definitions/1999336 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "distemper" http://smartdefine.org/distemper/definitions/1999336 (accessed September 23, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, distemper, Smart Define, viewed 23 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/distemper/definitions/1999336>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "distemper" 27 May 2011. Web. 23 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/distemper/definitions/1999336> |