- 1委婉語；婉辭
A euphemism is a milder or more polite word you choose instead of a blunter one, so that you do not shock or upset someone. We say “passed away” instead of “died”, “let go” instead of “”, “restroom” instead of naming the toilet straight. Some euphemisms are kind; some are slippery, because they hide what is really happening — “collateral damage” for people killed in war is the kind teachers warn you about. The word itself is fairly formal, but the habit is everywhere: in homes, offices, and the news. Though actually, a euphemism only works if both sides still know what you mean; if the soft word becomes the only word, it stops feeling soft.
組成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”).
同家族的字
- euphemisticthe adjective: using a euphemism
- euphemizethe verb: to put something in milder words
原始詞典資料2 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，摘錄並精簡格式，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
euphemismnoun/ˈjuː.fəˌmɪz.əm/
- 1
The use of a word or phrase to replace another one that is more offensive, blunt or vulgar.
- Akin to it [litotes] is euphemism, which may be applied to the same purpose.
- 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?
- 2
A word or phrase that replaces another in this way.
- 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.
- 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.
摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary，已精簡格式；依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用，改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。