dysphemism
Mar. 24th, 2021 07:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
prettygoodworddysphemism (DIS-fuh-miz-uhm) - n., the substitution of a harsh, derogatory, or vulgar expression for a more neutral one; an expression so used.
Such as cancer-stick for cigarette, boneyard for cemetery, shitstorm for chaotic situation, or dead tree edition for book printed on paper. The direct opposite of, euphemism, which is the more common word but roughly as common in practice. The word was coined in the late 19th century (first appearing in English in 1884) by replacing the eu-, good of euphemism with dys-, bad, but it's disputed whether this was done in French first or in English.
---L.
Such as cancer-stick for cigarette, boneyard for cemetery, shitstorm for chaotic situation, or dead tree edition for book printed on paper. The direct opposite of, euphemism, which is the more common word but roughly as common in practice. The word was coined in the late 19th century (first appearing in English in 1884) by replacing the eu-, good of euphemism with dys-, bad, but it's disputed whether this was done in French first or in English.
---L.
