eventempered

Eventempered is an adjective used to describe something that has an even or uniformly tempered quality. In music theory, the term has historically referred to temperaments that aim for more uniform interval sizes across keys, in contrast with unequal systems such as meantone temperaments. In many 17th through 19th century texts, eventempered implies that the tuning yields reasonably consistent semitone sizes over much of the keyboard, allowing modulation to multiple keys; over time, terms like well-tempered and equal temperament became standard, and eventempered is now largely obsolete in technical discussions. The exact sense of the word varied with author and context.

Etymology and history: eventempered derives from the idea of an even temperament, with an older spelling variant that reflects the contraction of even and tempered. In modern English, the preferred term for describing tunings that emphasize uniformity across keys is often equal temperament, while well-tempered describes tunings usable for multiple keys but not perfectly uniform. Consequently, eventempered is chiefly found in historical or stylistic discussions and is less common in contemporary technical writing.

Non-musical usage: outside music, eventempered can describe a person or organism with an even, steady temperament—calm, even-minded, not easily unsettled. In present-day usage, even-tempered is far more common for describing people, and eventempered is regarded as archaic or literary.

See also: equal temperament, well temperament, meantone temperament, even temperament.