Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “temperament” come from?

Temperament comes from Middle French tempérament, derived from Latin temperamentum, meaning a mixing or blending in proper proportions.

temperament (English): A moderate and proportionable mixture of elements...

Definitions

  1. A moderate and proportionable mixture of elements...

Ancestry of “temperament”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtemperament—
2Middle Frenchtempérament—
3Latintemperamentum—
4Latintemperō—
5Latintempustime, period, age; season; kairos, right time,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeantemposstretch
7Proto-Indo-Europeantemp-to extend, stretch, span; to stetch, string; to...

Words derived from “temperament”

  • temperamental
  • temperamentally
  • untemperamental
  • temperamentality
  • intemperament
Every word from Proto-Indo-European temp- →