temperance means A female given name from English. It carries an Arena rating of 1603, earned across 7 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, temperance ranks #2,354 of 17,120 for Most Beautiful Words, #4,276 of 17,093 for Most Storied Words, #5,836 of 17,123 for Most Malleable Words, #6,532 of 17,116 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
temperance is pronounced /ˈtɛmpəɹəns/.
Why “temperance” is a great word
Habitual moderation or self-restraint, especially in the indulgence of appetites or passions. From Anglo-Norman and Middle French temperance, from Latin temperantia ("moderation, self-control"), from temperare ("to restrain, to moderate"), first used as a virtue name by 16th-century Puritans. Unlike intemperance, which is the hollow, gorging void of excess, or abstinence, which is the stark, total barricade, temperance is the quiet art of holding back just enough—the hand that stops pouring after the first glass, the measured breath before a sharp reply, and the deliberate pacing of pleasure to avoid its exhaustion. It is not denial, but a calibrated warmth, the space between thirst and excess where choice still flickers.
Etymology
From temperance. A virtue name first used by Puritans in the 16th century.
name
- A female given name from English.
- The fourteenth trump or major arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks.
noun
- Habitual moderation in regard to the indulgence of the natural appetites and passions; restrained or moderate indulgence.e.g.“temperance in eating and drinking”
- Moderation, and sometimes abstinence, in respect to using intoxicating liquors.
- Moderation of passion; calmness.
- State with regard to heat or cold; temperature.e.g.“It [the climate] must needs be of subtle, tender, and delicate temperance.”
Words closest in meaning
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