distemper1

 
Pronunciation: /dɪˈstɛmpə/

noun

[mass noun]
  • 1a viral disease of some animals, especially dogs, causing fever, coughing, and catarrh.
  • 2 archaic political disorder: an attempt to illuminate the moral roots of the modern world’s distemper

Origin:

mid 16th century (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. distemper1 (sense 1) dates from the mid 18th century