euphemism / dysphemism
Apr. 9th, 2014 07:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
prettygoodwordeuphemism (YOO-fuh-miz-uhm) - n., the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt; the expression so substituted.
dysphemism (DIS-fuh-miz-uhm) - n., the substitution of a disagreeable or offensive expression for an agreeable or inoffensive one; the expression so substituted.
Softening or roughening things up, respectively. Note that depending on context, a euphemism can be taken as a dysphemism and vice versa. The former is adopted in the 1650s from Greek euphēmismos, from euphēmos, saying words of good omen, from eu, well + phḗmē, speaking. The latter was coined in 1884 on its patterm, from Greek dys-, ill/bad.
---L.
dysphemism (DIS-fuh-miz-uhm) - n., the substitution of a disagreeable or offensive expression for an agreeable or inoffensive one; the expression so substituted.
Softening or roughening things up, respectively. Note that depending on context, a euphemism can be taken as a dysphemism and vice versa. The former is adopted in the 1650s from Greek euphēmismos, from euphēmos, saying words of good omen, from eu, well + phḗmē, speaking. The latter was coined in 1884 on its patterm, from Greek dys-, ill/bad.
---L.
