Distemper

English Meaning

To temper or mix unduly; to make disproportionate; to change the due proportions of.

1. An infectious viral disease occurring in dogs, characterized by loss of appetite, a catarrhal discharge from the eyes and nose, vomiting, fever, lethargy, partial paralysis caused by destruction of myelinated nerve tissue, and sometimes death. Also called canine distemper.
2. A similar viral disease of cats characterized by fever, vomiting, diarrhea leading to dehydration, and sometimes death. Also called feline distemper, panleukopenia.
3. Any of various similar mammalian diseases.
4. An illness or disease; an ailment: "He died . . . of a broken heart, a distemper which kills many more than is generally imagined” ( Henry Fielding).
5. Ill humor; testiness.
6. Disorder or disturbance, especially of a social or political nature.
7. To put out of order.
8. Archaic To unsettle; derange.
9. A process of painting in which pigments are mixed with water and a glue-size or casein binder, used for flat wall decoration or scenic and poster painting.
10. The paint used in this process.
11. A painting made by this process.
12. To mix (powdered pigments or colors) with water and size.
13. To paint (a work) in distemper.