n.
Function: noun
Etymology: obsolete distemper, v., to dilute, mix to produce distemper, from Middle English, from Anglo-French destemprer, from Latin dis- + temperare
Date: 1632
1 : a process of painting in which the pigments are mixed with an emulsion of egg yolk, with size, or with white of egg as a vehicle and which is used for painting scenery and murals
2 a : the paint or the prepared ground used in the distemper process b : a painting done in distemper
3 : any of various water-based paints