euphemism
EnglishEdit
EtymologyEdit
Recorded since 1656; from Ancient Greek εὐφημισμός (euphēmismós), from εὐφημίζω (euphēmízō), from εὔφημος (eúphēmos, “uttering sound of good omen, abstaining from inauspicious words”), from εὖ (eû, “well”) + φήμη (phḗmē, “a voice, a prophetic voice, rumor, talk”), from φημί (phēmí, “to speak, say”).
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
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euphemism (countable and uncountable, plural euphemisms)
- (uncountable) The use of a word or phrase to replace another with one that is considered less offensive, blunt or vulgar than the word or phrase which it replaces.
- a. 1803, James Beattie, “Of Rhetorick”, in Elements of Moral Science, volume III, Philadelphia: Hopkins and Earle, published 1809, I, page 118:
- Akin to it [litotes] is euphemism, which may be applied to the same purpose.
- 2019 July 26, David J. Ulin, “Op-Ed: I’m Jewish and I don’t say this lightly: ‘Never again’ is right now in America”, in LA Times[1]:
- In 1946, George Orwell addressed the relationship of language to reality and suggested that euphemism, not imperfect analogy, was the real danger. If we don’t use shocking language to describe a shocking circumstance, can we truly recognize what is happening?
- (countable) A word or phrase that is used to replace another in this way.
- a. 1803, James Beattie, “Of Rhetorick”, in Elements of Moral Science, volume III, Philadelphia: Hopkins and Earle, published 1809, I, page 118:
- When it is said of the martyr St. Stephen, that “he fell asleep,” instead of—he died, the euphemism partakes of the nature of metaphor, intimating a resemblance between sleep and the death of such a person.
- 2004, Carlin, George, “EUPHEMISMS: It's a Whole New Language”, in When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?[2], New York: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, OCLC 757869006, OL 24604921M, page 6:
- Euphemistic language turns up in many areas of American life in a variety of situations. Not all euphemisms are alike, but they have one thing in common: They obscure meaning rather than enhance it; they shade the truth.
AntonymsEdit
Derived termsEdit
Related termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
use of a word or phrase to replace another word with one considered less offensive
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word or phrase that is used to replace another in this way
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Further readingEdit
euphemism on Wikipedia.Wikipedia 
Euphemism in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)- euphemism in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- euphemism in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
- euphemism at OneLook Dictionary Search
