/ dɪˈstempə(r); NAmE / noun [ U ]
1.
an infectious disease of animals, especially cats and dogs, that causes fever and coughing
2.
( BrE ) a type of paint that is mixed with water and used on walls
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WORD ORIGIN
sense 2 late Middle English (originally as a verb in the senses dilute and steep ): from Old French destremper or late Latin distemperare soak.
sense 1 mid 16th cent. (originally in the sense bad temper , later illness ): from Middle English distemper upset, derange , from late Latin distemperare soak, mix in the wrong proportions, from dis- thoroughly + temperare mingle. Compare with temper . The current sense dates from the mid 18th cent.