Her Love is Tempered with Fear

tem·per

/ˈtempər/

verb

gerund or present participle: tempering

1. 1.

   improve the hardness and elasticity of (steel or other metal) by reheating and then cooling it.

   • improve the consistency or resiliency of (a substance) by heating it or adding particular substances to it.

     synonyms:

     harden, strengthen, toughen, fortify, anneal "the steel is tempered by heat"

2. 2.

   serve as a neutralizing or counterbalancing force to (something).

   "their idealism is tempered with realism"

   synonyms:

   moderate, modify, modulate, mitigate, alleviate, reduce, weaken, lighten, soften "their idealism is tempered with realism"

3. 3.

   tune (a piano or other instrument) so as to adjust the note intervals correctly.