Contemper \Con*tem"per\ (k[o^]n*t[e^]m"p[~e]r), v. t. [L.
contemperare, -temperatum; con- + temperare to temper. Cf.
{Contemperate}.]
To modify or temper; to allay; to qualify; to moderate; to
soften. [Obs.]
The antidotes . . . have allayed its bitterness and
contempered its malignancy. --Johnson.