Hotblood

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. Describing a temperament marked by passionate intensity and impulsive behavior; referring to a person prone to strong emotions and quick reactions; indicating a state of fervent enthusiasm or aggression
2. Characterizing someone with vehement feelings and an easily aroused spirit; relating to individuals prone to fiery anger or spirited passion; denoting a mood of heightened emotional ardor or vigor
3. Pertaining to a lively and excitable disposition with a tendency toward rash actions; describing a temperament driven by strong passions and emotional fervency; expressing an atmosphere charged with intense feeling or zeal

Etymology: "Hotblood" is a plain compound of "hot" and "blood." The idea behind it is an old one: the body's blood was thought to carry temperament, and a person who was easily inflamed was said to have hot blood. Combining the two words yields a noun for such a person, and the adjective form describes the same quality in a temperament or manner. The word is transparent in a way that many English compounds are not. Nothing about it was coined as a specialised term; it simply joins two everyday words that already carried these associations. The emotional sense of "hot" (as in a hot temper or hot-headed) and the medieval notion of blood as the seat of passion together explain the meaning without any further history needed.

Synonyms: hothead, temperamental, fiery, passionate, impulsive

Antonyms: coldblood, coolheaded, calm, collected