This Word Became a Top Search Trend During the Presidential Debate

Searches for the definition of the word “temperament” spiked during Monday night’s U.S. presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

After each candidate referred to the other’s “temperament” during the debate, Merriam Webster reported that searches for the word increased 78 times over the online dictionary’s hourly average. The dictionary definition of the word is cited as “the usual attitude, mood, or behavior of a person or animal”.

The word also spiked as a Google search term during the screening of the debate, reaching peak popularity across the U.S. after it was mentioned multiple times. The first televised showdown between Trump and Clinton was also the most-tweeted presidential debate ever.

When asked by moderator Lester Holt why his judgement was any different than Clinton’s, Trump replied “Well, I have much better judgment than she does. There’s no question about that. I also have a much better temperament than she has, you know?”

After some laughter from the audience, the Republican candidate continued, arguing that “I think my strongest asset, maybe by far, is my temperament. I have a winning temperament. I know how to win.”

Later on in the debate in reference to Trump’s previous comments on foreign policy, Clinton said “That’s bad judgment. That is not the right temperament to be commander in chief.”