noun
distemper
dih-STEM-per/dɪˈstempər/
A contagious disease affecting dogs or other animals.
The veterinarian examines a lethargic dog suffering from distemper.
Etymology
The pieces describe upsetting a proper mixture, originally the supposed balance of bodily humors. The resulting word for bodily illness narrowed to a disease of young dogs and later extended to other animals.
In context
canine distemper, a serious, often fatal viral disease that attacks a young animals immune, respiratory, and nervous systems.
More examples
- Distemper can spread quickly among unvaccinated dogs.
- Ferrets are also vulnerable to distemper.
- The shelter isolates dogs that show signs of distemper.
Forms
distemper