Euphemism1
委婉语
'Pass away' is a euphemism for 'die'.
'过世'是'死'的委婉语。
Pronunciation: ['yu-f?mi-zm]
Definition 1: A less offensive word substituted for an offensive one. Words referring to the 百度竞价推广antic extremes of the holy and the profane2 are often taboo3. To circumvent4 the impediment this raises, we replace the prohibited words with more acceptable ones, called euphemisms5.
Usage 1: God, as an interjection, for example, is replaced by golly, and heck replaces hell. One is too holy to be uttered, the other, too profane. In Britain, bloody6 is considered vulgar, so ruddy has replaced it: He's a right ruddy blighter, he is. A person given to using euphemisms is a euphemist or euphemizer. Euphemisms are euphemistic terms and we use them euphemistically.
Suggested usage: Today, euphemisms are widely used to replace any unpleasant or potentially offensive word. Not only are there a plethora7 of euphemisms for drunk and kill , but also for words that refer to jobs and conditions with negative connotations, e.g. janitor8 , crippled , to fire , insane . In fact, pork, beef, and mutton are all euphemisms for pig meat, cow meat, and sheep meat borrowed from French porc pig, boeuf ox, and mouton sheep.
Etymology9: Today's word was borrowed from Greek euphemismos euphemism from euphemizein to use auspicious10 words based on euphemia auspicious words, a compound comprising eu- good, true + pheme saying, speech. Greek blasphemos, from which our blasphemous11 derives12, was originally a similar compound based on blas- bad + phem- + os. English blame comes from Old French blasmer, a reduction of Vulgar Latin *blastemere, itself a corruption13 of Late Latin blasphemare to reproach.
