tempera
noun
tem·pera ˈtem-pə-rə 
1
: a process of painting in which an albuminous or colloidal medium (such as egg yolk) is employed as a vehicle instead of oil
also : a painting done in tempera
2
: poster color
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Most spectacular is a watercolor and tempera plan of the library’s floor mosaic, a consummate study in the adjustment of color values, coming to rest on a central disk of antique porphyry. 
Michael J. Lewis, WSJ, 27 July 2022 Using the classical egg tempera method of painting, de la Hoz explored a range of concepts and characters in the series. San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 July 2022 So, what made tempera reign supreme among the Renaissance giants? Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Dec. 2021 For these experiments, the researchers made their own egg tempera. Eva Amsen, Forbes, 12 Apr. 2022 Trumbull created the effect in a huge aquarium tank filled with fresh and saltwater and by injecting white liquid tempera paint to create the strange cloud formations. Rhett Bartlett, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2022 The team's egg tempera also provided more coverage and elasticity as well. Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Dec. 2021 Bette Nesmith Graham, then a secretary at Texas Bank and Trust in the 1950s, started using tempera paint and a thin paintbrush to fix typing mistakes. Timothy Fanning, San Antonio Express-News, 18 Oct. 2021 Painted in 1445 in egg tempera and gold, this wooden panel was once part of an altarpiece — known as the Guelfi altarpiece — the main part of which is now in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2021 See More
Michael J. Lewis, WSJ, 27 July 2022 Using the classical egg tempera method of painting, de la Hoz explored a range of concepts and characters in the series. San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 July 2022 So, what made tempera reign supreme among the Renaissance giants? Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Dec. 2021 For these experiments, the researchers made their own egg tempera. Eva Amsen, Forbes, 12 Apr. 2022 Trumbull created the effect in a huge aquarium tank filled with fresh and saltwater and by injecting white liquid tempera paint to create the strange cloud formations. Rhett Bartlett, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2022 The team's egg tempera also provided more coverage and elasticity as well. Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Dec. 2021 Bette Nesmith Graham, then a secretary at Texas Bank and Trust in the 1950s, started using tempera paint and a thin paintbrush to fix typing mistakes. Timothy Fanning, San Antonio Express-News, 18 Oct. 2021 Painted in 1445 in egg tempera and gold, this wooden panel was once part of an altarpiece — known as the Guelfi altarpiece — the main part of which is now in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Italian, "tempera, mixture, temperament, constitution" (in modern Italian usually tempra in figurative senses), noun derivative of temperare, temprare "to mix in the proper proportion, moderate," going back to Latin temperāre "to moderate, bring to a proper strength or consistency by mixing" — more at temper entry 2
First Known Use
1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1
tempera
noun
as in gouache
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- gouache
- watercolor
- pastel
- distemper
- acrylic
- drawing
- aquarelle
- etching
- finger painting
- sketch
- masterpiece
- diptych
- fresco
- oil
- canvas
- painting
- canvass
- triptych
- mural
- pièce de résistance
- panorama
- showpiece
- oil painting