distemper

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The Word of the Day for August 13 is:

distemper   \dis-TEM-per\   verb
     : to throw out of order

Example sentence:
     "Some people are adept at inflicting their moods on others. One sourpuss 
in a distempered state, with a skill for spraying it around, can bust up an 
entire happy dinner party." (Frank Ahrens, _Washington Post_, March 12, 2001)

Did you know?
     If you "temper" something, you soften or dilute it by mixing in something 
else. You might, for example, temper wine with water or temper judgment with 
mercy. But what if you add the wrong thing and just end up with a big mess? 
That's the general idea behind "distemper," which came to English in the 14th 
century from Late Latin "distemperare" ("to mix badly"). Nowadays, we often use 
the participial form "distempered" to refer to a mood that is affected by 
negative feelings. There's also the noun "distemper," which can mean "bad humor 
or temper" or "a serious virus disease of dogs." Another noun "distemper" 
refers to a painting process in which pigments are mixed with a glutinous 
substances, like egg yolks or whites.