temperance en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman temperance, from Latin temperantia (“moderation, sobriety, discretion, self-control”), from temperans, present participle of temperare (“to moderate”). See temper. English equivalent temper + -ance.
Meanings
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(countable, uncountable) Habitual moderation in regard to the indulgence of the natural appetites and passions; restrained or moderate indulgence.
temperance in eating and drinking
temperance in the indulgence of joy
On these occasions I have noticed such a dreamy, vacant expression in his eyes, that I might have suspected him of being addicted to the use of some narcotic, had not the temperance and cleanliness of his whole life forbidden such a notion.
1887, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “A Study in Scarlet”, in Beeton’s Christmas Annual, London; New York, N.Y.: Ward, Lock & Co., part I (Being a reprint from the reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D., […]), chapter II (The Science of Deduction), page 8:Who did begin their Feaſtes with Prayers; continue them with Temperance, and Sobrietie; eating no more then would ſuffice their hunger; drinking no more then would quench and ſatisfie their thirſt […]
1628, William Prynne, Healthes Sicknesse. Or, a compendious and briefe Discourse; prouing the Drinking, and Pledging of Healthes, to be Sinfull […] , London: Augustine Matthews, page 22:But there was no one to shake Nero into temperance. He had affairs, drank tremendously, raised taxes in the provinces to pay for his indulgences, and started once again to hold the infamous treason trials as Caligula had done.
2007, Susan Wise Bauer, “The Problem of Succession”, in The History of the Ancient World, New York: W. W. Norton & Company, page 729:
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(countable, uncountable) Moderation, and sometimes abstinence, in respect to using intoxicating liquors.
Evangelists organized an association for each issue—temperance, education, Sabbath observance, antidueling, and later antislavery; collectively these groups formed a national web of benevolent and moral reform societies.
1986, Mary Beth Norton; David M. Katzman; Paul D. Escott; Howard P. Chudacoff; Thomas G. Paterson; William M. Tuttle, Jr., A People and a Nation: A History of the United States, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, page 326:Another error, as it seems to me, into which the old reformers fell, was the position that all habitual drunkards were utterly incorrigible, and therefore must be turned adrift and damned without remedy in order that the grace of temperance might abound, to the temperate then, and to all mankind some hundreds of years thereafter.
1842 February 22, Abraham Lincoln, “Address Before the Springfield Washingtonian Temperance Society”, in Arthur Brooks Lapsley, editor, The Papers and Writings of Abraham Lincoln:So now the frauds reckoned they was out of danger, and they begun to work the villages again. ¶ First they done a lecture on temperance; but they didn't make enough for them both to get drunk on.
1884 December 10, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter XXXI, in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: (Tom Sawyer’s Comrade) […], London: Chatto & Windus, […], →OCLC, page 314:Public-houses, besides their usual exhortation against temperance reform, invited men to “Join our Christmas goose club”—one bottle of gin, etc., or two, according to subscription.
1908–1910 (date written; published 1910 October 18), E[dward] M[organ] Forster, “Christmas Shopping”, in Howards End, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.; London: G[eorge] P[almer] Putnam’s Sons […], published 1910, →OCLC, page 97:
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(countable, uncountable) Moderation of passion; calmness.
[…] in the verie Torrent, Tempeſt, and (as I may ſay) the Whirle-winde of Paſſion, you muſt acquire and beget a Temperance that may giue it Smoothneſſe.
c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], page 266, column 2:Enough, you stand a traitor by my hearth, / And yet I draw not! Sir, I cannot pledge / This temperance long; the path of safety’s there.
1849, [John] Westland Marston, “Strathmore”, in The Dramatic and Poetical Works of Westland Marston, volume I, London: Chatto & Windus, published 1876, act I, scene ii, page 10:What was the government doing keeping schools open when our closest neighbours – Ireland, France, Germany, Spain and Italy – had already closed theirs? […] Those who were being charitable asked for temperance. Our government surely had a credible plan? Somewhere. Right?
2020 June 11, Lola Okolosie, “This bungled schools coronavirus policy hurts children, parents and teachers”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 12 Aug 2023:
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(countable, obsolete, uncountable) State with regard to heat or cold; temperature.
It [the climate] must needs be of subtle, tender, and delicate temperance.
1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], line 41:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| temperaunce | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| temperances | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Coordinates
charity (virtue) · humility (virtue) · patience (virtue) · diligence (virtue) · chastity (virtue) · kindness (virtue)
Deriveds
Loyal Temperance Legion · temperance play · temperance meeting · temperance hotel · temperance education · Toronto Temperance Society · Woman's Christian Temperance Union · temperance organisation · temperance chartist · temperance reading room · temperance lobby · temperance writer · temperance paper · temperance society · temperance movement zealot · temperance beverage · temperance journal · temperance movement · temperance magazine · Youth Temperance Council · temperance norm · temperance bar · Temperance Colonization Society · antitemperance · temperance chartism · American Temperance Society · temperance pledge · temperance organization · temperance group · temperance colony · temperance association
Relateds
National Prohibition Act (associated terms) · wet faction (associated terms) · dry (associated terms) · temperament · the wets (associated terms) · blind pig (associated terms) · temper · prohibitionary (associated terms) · Prohibition Party (associated terms) · Prohibition (associated terms) · Anti-Saloon League (associated terms) · White Ribbon Recruits (associated terms) · speakeasy (associated terms) · bootlegging (associated terms) · White Ribbon Recruit (associated terms) · antiprohibitionist (associated terms) · bootlegger (associated terms) · wet (associated terms) · dry faction (associated terms) · the dries (associated terms) · speakeasy club (associated terms) · anti-prohibitionist (associated terms) · proprohibitionist (associated terms) · blind tiger (associated terms) · pro-prohibitionist (associated terms) · prohibitionist (associated terms) · temperamental · temperature · prohibition (associated terms)
Synonyms
calmness · sedateness · patience
Translations (80)
bg сдържаност (moderation of passion) · es templanza (Tarot card) · ro sobrietate (habitual moderation) · es temperancia (one of seven virtues) · cmn 節制 /节制 (moderation of passion) · he מתינות (Tarot card) · fi itsehillintä (habitual moderation) · de Temperenz (moderation of passion) · da mådehold (moderation of passion) · fi raittius (habitual moderation) · he מתינות (habitual moderation) · ca temperança (Tarot card) · gl tempero (habitual moderation) · no hóv (habitual moderation) · es temperancia (Tarot card) · es temperancia (moderation of passion) · fr tempérance (one of seven virtues) · fi maltti (moderation of passion) · fi tyyneys (moderation of passion) · it temperanza (one of seven virtues) · ja 節制 (Tarot card) · la sōbrietās (habitual moderation) · de Enthaltsamkeit (moderation of passion) · fr tempérance (Tarot card) · ru сде́ржанность (habitual moderation) · de Mäßigung (habitual moderation) · nl matiging (habitual moderation) · cs umírněnost (Tarot card) · cs zdrženlivost (moderation of passion) · pl umiarkowanie (Tarot card) · fi kohtuus (Tarot card) · da mådehold (habitual moderation) · he מתינות (one of seven virtues) · es templanza (one of seven virtues) · fr sobriété (moderation of passion) · ca temprança (habitual moderation) · es temperancia (habitual moderation) · nl gematigheid (Tarot card) · cs střídmost (one of seven virtues) · he איפוק (one of seven virtues) · fi kohtuus (habitual moderation) · es templanza (habitual moderation) · pl powściągliwość (Tarot card) · grc σωφροσύνη (habitual moderation) · ko 절제 (Tarot card) · cs umírněnost (habitual moderation) · ja 節制 (moderation of passion) · he התנזרות (moderation of passion) · cmn 戒酒 (habitual moderation) · ja 節制 (habitual moderation) · bg умереност (habitual moderation) · de Mäßigung (moderation of passion) · gl sobriedade (moderation of passion) · bg умереност (one of seven virtues) · pt temperança (Tarot card) · de Mäßigkeit im Alkoholgenuss (moderation of passion) · hu megfontoltság (Tarot card) · da mådehold (one of seven virtues) · ca temprança (one of seven virtues) · bg умереност (Tarot card) · ru уме́ренность (habitual moderation) · fr sobriété (habitual moderation) · gl temperanza (one of seven virtues) · cs zdrženlivost (habitual moderation) · ro cumpătare (habitual moderation) · ru тре́звенность (habitual moderation) · cs střídmost (habitual moderation) · fi itsehillintä (moderation of passion) · ja 禁酒 (habitual moderation) · he מתינות (moderation of passion) · cs umění (Tarot card) · es templanza (moderation of passion) · got 𐌲𐌰𐌷𐍉𐌱𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍃 (habitual moderation) · it temperanza (Tarot card) · el εγκράτεια (moderation of passion) · no måtehald (habitual moderation) · fi kohtuullisuus (one of seven virtues) · de Mäßigkeit (Tarot card) · ota اعتدال (habitual moderation) · la temperantia (habitual moderation)