1. To exceed the bounds of moderation or to be excessive in one's behavior or actions as to cover up something: Joe's friend has been known to distemperate the sides of a lot of buildings and walls in his town with posters, murals, and comical images.
2. Etymology: from Late Latin distemperare, literally, "to mix thoroughly"; from Latin dis, in the sense "completely" + tempare, "to mix, to mingle in due proportion, to combine properly"; from temps, genitive of temporis, "time".