contemper

Con*tem"per, v. t. Etym: [L. contemperare, -temperatum; con- + temperare to temper. Cf. Contemperate.] Defn: To modify or temper; to allay; to qualify; to moderate; to soften. [Obs.] The antidotes . . . have allayed its bitterness and contempered its malignancy. Johnson.

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