Definition: Temperate

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin temperatus, past participle of temperare (“moderate, forbear, combine properly”).

Adjective

temperate (comparative more temperate, superlative most temperate)

1. Moderate; not excessive

   temperate heat

   a temperate climate

2. Moderate in the indulgence of the natural appetites or passions

   temperate in eating and drinking.

3. Living in an environment that is temperate, not extreme.

   temperate fishes

Derived terms

• (geology) temperate zone, that part of the earth which lies between either tropic and the corresponding polar circle; -- so called because the heat is less than in the torrid zone, and the cold less than in the frigid zones.

Related terms

• temper
• temperature

Credits

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