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tem·per·ate 'tem-p(ə-)rət adj
1) marked by moderation esp moderate in the use of intoxicating liquors
2) existing as a prophage in infected cells and rarely causing lysis <\temperate bacteriophages>
tem·per·ate·ly adv
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tem·per·ate (temґpər-ət) [L. temperatus, past part. of temperare to temper] restrained; characterized by moderation; as a temperate bacteriophage, which infects but does not lyse its host.Medical dictionary. 2011.