tempérer

Meaning

to temper, to soothe, to assuage

Etymology

From Old French temprer; the é was added to make it more closely match the Latin spelling temperō, temperāre. This form may also be seen as a learned borrowing from the Latin word (according to the TLFi), and used in the sense of "temper", "sooth" as opposed to the sense relating to soaking or drenching (cf. the popularly evolved form tremper).