# moderate
## English
### Pronunciation

* Adjective, noun:
** (UK): IPA: /ˈmɒdəɹət/
** (US): enPR: mäd'ər-ət, IPA: /ˈmɑdəɹət/
* Audio (US); “moderate” (adjective, noun):(file)
* Verb:
** (UK): IPA: /ˈmɒdəɹeɪt/
** (US): enPR: mäd'ə-rāt, IPA: /ˈmɑdəɹeɪt/
* Audio (US); “moderate” (verb):(file)

### Etymology 1

From Middle English moderat(e) (“moderate, temperate”), borrowed from Latin moderātus, perfect active participle of moderor (“regulate, restrain, moderate”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from moder-, modes-, a stem appearing also in modestus (“moderate, discreet, modest”), from modus (“measure”); see mode and modest. Doublet of moderato. Displaced native Old English ġemetlīċ (“moderate”) and metegian (“to moderate”). Cognate with French modéré.

#### Adjective

moderate (comparative more moderate, superlative most moderate)
* Not excessive; acting in moderation
    moderate language
    a moderate Calvinist
    travelling at a moderate speed
** 1731, Jonathan Swift, The Presbyterians Plea of Merit:A number of moderate members managed […] to obtain a majority in a thin house.
* (pathology) more than mild, less than severe
* Mediocre
* Average priced; standard-deal
* Not violent or rigorous; temperate; mild; gentle.
    a moderate winter
** 1859, Arthur Hugh Clough, Life of Sertorius:These are called the Islands of the Blest; rains fall there seldom, and in moderate showers, but for the most part they have gentle breezes, bringing along with them soft dews
* (US, politics) Having an intermediate position between liberal and conservative.

##### Synonyms

* See also Thesaurus:moderate
* See also Thesaurus:intermediate

##### Derived terms

* moderate breeze
* moderately
* moderateness

##### Translations
### Etymology 2

From a substantivization of the above adjective, see -ate (noun-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.

#### Noun

moderate (plural moderates)
* One who holds an intermediate position between extremes, as in politics.
    While the moderates usually propose political compromise, it's often only achieved when the extremists allow them so
    The moderates are the natural advocates of ecumenism against the fanatics of their churches.
** 2022 June 29, Christian Wolmar, “Strike settlement held back by ministers”, in RAIL, number 960, page 43:On the other side, RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch (a moderate) has to contend with the hardliners on his executive, whose intentions go way beyond trying to sort out their members' terms and conditions.
* (Christianity, historical) One of a party in Scottish Church history dominant in the 18th century, lax in doctrine and discipline, but intolerant of evangelicalism and popular rights. It caused the secessions of 1733 and 1761, and its final resultant was the Disruption of 1843.

##### Translations
### Etymology 3

From Middle English moderaten (“to restrain, curb; (law) modify”), from moderat(e) +‎ -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Latin moderātus, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.

#### Verb

moderate (third-person singular simple present moderates, present participle moderating, simple past and past participle moderated)
* (transitive) To reduce the excessiveness of (something).
    Synonyms: accoy, mitigate, soften, temper, temperate
    to moderate rage, action, desires, etc.
** 1731, John Arbuthnot, An Essay Concerning the Nature of Aliments, and the Choice of Them, According to the Different Constitutions of Human Bodies. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson […], →OCLC:By its astringent Quality, it moderates the relaxing quality of warm Water.
** 2000, Paul G. Coleman, Positron Beams and Their Applications, page 309:This leaves two strategies to increase the current in a positron beam. First is to provide a stronger positron source and second is to develop a more efficient method to moderate the source positrons into a monoenergetic beam.
* (intransitive) To become less excessive.
    Synonyms: cool, settle down, soften
    He used to be an extremist but moderated later in life.
* (transitive) To preside over (something) as a moderator.
    Synonyms: arbitrate, chair
    to moderate a synod
* (intransitive) To act as a moderator; to assist in bringing to compromise.
    In the comment section, the moderator was moderating.
* (transitive, physics) To supply with a moderator (substance that decreases the speed of neutrons in a nuclear reactor and hence increases likelihood of fission).
    a graphite-moderated reactor

##### Derived terms

* moderation
* moderating

##### Related terms

* modal
* modality
* mode
* model
* moderator
* module

##### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### References

* William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “moderate”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
* “moderate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

## German
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Adjective

moderate
* inflection of moderat:
** strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
** strong nominative/accusative plural
** weak nominative all-gender singular
** weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

## Italian
### Etymology 1
#### Verb

moderate
* inflection of moderare:
** second-person plural present indicative
** second-person plural imperative

### Etymology 2
#### Participle

moderate f pl
* feminine plural of moderato

### Anagrams

* dateremo

## Latin
### Verb

moderāte
* second-person plural present active imperative of moderō

### References

* “moderate”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
* “moderate”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers

## Norwegian Bokmål
### Adjective

moderate
* definite singular of moderat
* plural of moderat

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Adjective

moderate
* definite singular of moderat
* plural of moderat

## Spanish
### Verb

moderate
* second-person singular voseo imperative of moderar combined with te