moderate

Listen:

/ˈmɒdərɪt/

mod•er•ate adj., n., v., -at•ed, -at•ing.
adj.

keeping within reasonable or proper limits:moderate prices.
of medium quantity, extent, or amount:a moderate income.
mediocre or fair:moderate talent.
Governmentof or relating to moderates, as in politics:the moderate wing of the party.

Governmentone who is moderate in opinion or who is opposed to extreme views, as in politics.

to be at the head of or preside over (a public forum, etc.): [~ + object]He moderated the last town meeting.[no object]He's good at moderating: he keeps things moving.
to (cause to) become less violent or extreme: [~ + object]moderated her criticism of the plan.[no object]The storm moderated.

mod•er•ate•ness, n. [uncountable]

mod•er•ate adj., n., v., -at•ed, -at•ing.
adj.

kept or keeping within reasonable or proper limits;
not extreme, excessive, or intense:a moderate price.
of medium quantity, extent, or amount:a moderate income.
mediocre or fair:moderate talent.
Meteorologycalm or mild, as of the weather.
Governmentof or pertaining to moderates, as in politics or religion.

Governmenta person who is moderate in opinion or opposed to extreme views and actions, esp. in politics or religion.
Government(usually cap.) a member of a political party advocating moderate reform.

v.t.

to reduce the excessiveness of;
make less violent, severe, intense, or rigorous:to moderate the sharpness of one's words.
to preside over or at (a public forum, meeting, discussion, etc.).

v.i.

mod′er•ate•ly, adv.
mod′er•ate•ness, n.

Latin moderātus (past participle of moderārī to restrain, control), equivalent. to moderā- verb, verbal stem (see modest) + -tus past participle suffix
Middle English moderate (adjective, adjectival), moderaten (verb, verbal) 1350–1400

1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged reasonable, temperate, judicious, just, cool, steady, calm.
Moderate, temperate, judicious, reasonable all stress the avoidance of excess--emotional, physical, intellectual, or otherwise.
Moderate implies response or behavior that is by nature not excessive:a moderate drinker, a moderate amount of assistance.Temperate, interchangeable with
moderate in some general uses, usually stresses the idea of caution, control, or self-restraint:a surprisingly temperate response to the angry challenge.Judicious emphasizes prudence and the exercise of careful judgment:a judicious balance between freedom and restraint; judicious care to offend neither side.Reasonable suggests the imposition or adoption of limits derived from the application of reason or good sense:a reasonable price; a reasonable amount of damages allotted to each claimant.
2.See corresponding entry in Unabridged average.
8.See corresponding entry in Unabridged meliorate, pacify, calm, mitigate, soften, mollify, temper, qualify, appease, abate, lessen, diminish. See allay.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

moderate adj /ˈmɒdərɪt; ˈmɒdrɪt/

n /ˈmɒdərɪt; ˈmɒdrɪt/

vb /ˈmɒdəˌreɪt/

to become or cause to become less extreme or violent
when intr, often followed by over: to preside over a meeting, discussion, etc
Brit NZ to act as an external moderator of the overall standards and marks for (some types of educational assessment)
to slow down (neutrons), esp by using a moderator
(transitive) to monitor (the conversations in an on-line chatroom) for bad language, inappropriate content, etc

Etymology: 14th Century: from Latin moderātus observing moderation, from moderārī to restrain

'moderate' also found in these entries:

Forum discussions with the word(s) "moderate" in the title:

Online Language Dictionaries