: a disordered or abnormal bodily state especially of quadruped mammals: such as
a
: a highly contagious virus disease of canines and especially of dogs that is caused by a morbillivirus (species Canine morbillivirus) and is marked by fever, leukopenia, and respiratory, gastrointestinal, and neurological symptoms
: 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
Middle English distempren, distemperen "(in medieval physiology) to upset the proper balance of the humors, (of the body) be upset by improper balance of the humors, be diseased, (of a person) be indisposed, anger, (in medicine) to blend (two ingredients), dissolve, dilute, moisten," borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French destemprer, destemperer, destremper "to mix together (ingredients, colors), prepare (a potion), moisten, cleanse" (also continental Old & Middle French, "to soften, dilute"), borrowed from Medieval Latin distemperāre "to affect (climate, the body) by disproportionate mixture, mix, soak," going back to Late Latin, "to mix (with another liquid), temper, mix badly," from Latin dis-dis- + temperāre "to bring to a proper strength by mixing" — more at temper entry 2
probably borrowed (with conformation to distemper entry 2) from Middle French destrempre "pigment prepared by the distemper process," noun derivative of destremper "to soften, dilute, prepare by mixing or diluting (a drink, mortar)," going back to Old French destemprer — more at distemper entry 1