ill-tempered
UK[ˌɪl ˈtempəd]US[ˌɪl ˈtempərd]
adj
Having a bad temper; easily annoyed or angered.
Morpheme Breakdown
ill
temper
ed
ill
bad
temper
nature
ed
adjective suffix
Etymology
The word 'ill-tempered' is a relatively modern English compound adjective. Its first element, 'ill,' derives from Old Norse 'illr,' meaning "bad," which reinforced the Old English sense. The core noun 'temper' originates from Latin 'temperare,' meaning "to mix or blend in proper proportion," which evolved through Medieval Latin 'temperatura' and Old French 'temprer' to signify the balance of bodily humors and, by extension, one's mental disposition. The suffix '-ed' is added to indicate possession of that quality. Thus, the literal construction "having a bad mixture/disposition" logically evolved into the modern abstract meaning of being habitually irritable or prone to anger.
Analysis
Structure: ill (bad) + temper (nature) + ed (adjective suffix)
ill: Old English origin, meaning "bad, evil, harmful." Functions as a negative or pejorative prefix.
temper: Latin origin (temperare, "to mix, regulate"). In this compound, it refers to one's state of mind or disposition.
ed: Old English origin, a suffix used to form adjectives from nouns or verbs, meaning "having the quality of."
Examples
The ill-tempered manager often shouted at his employees over minor mistakes.
After being stuck in traffic for hours, she became quite ill-tempered.
The old dog was known to be ill-tempered and would growl at strangers.