noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A paint in which the pigments are suspended in a water-soluble emulsion, such as of egg yolk or gelatine, which hardens and becomes insoluble on exposure to air. uncountable
2. 2
   pigment mixed with water-soluble glutinous materials such as size and egg yolk wordnet
3. 3
   The artistic technique of painting in this medium. uncountable
4. 4
   A painting done in this medium. countable

Synonyms

All synonyms

aquarellecanvaschromogencoatcoat of paintcoating

Example

More examples

"How about if we buy some tempera for the kids to paint with?"

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian tempera.

Related phrases

tempera grassa

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.