temperament

 
Pronunciation: /ˈtɛmp(ə)rəm(ə)nt/

noun

  • 1a person’s or animal’s nature, especially as it permanently affects their behaviour: she had an artistic temperament
  • [mass noun] the tendency to behave angrily or emotionally: he had begun to show signs of temperament
  • 2 [mass noun] the adjustment of intervals in tuning a piano or other musical instrument so as to fit the scale for use in different keys; in equal temperament, the octave consists of twelve equal semitones: this temperament became standard tuning for all the new organs

Origin:

late Middle English: from Latin temperamentum 'correct mixture', from temperare 'mingle'. In early use the word was synonymous with the noun temper

Spelling help

Remember that temperament is spelled with -era- in the middle.

a man of moderate temperament.