Euphemisation

/juːfɛmɪˈzeɪʃən/ noun

Definition

The British English spelling of the process of replacing a harsh, blunt, or offensive word or phrase with a milder, more polite equivalent.

Etymology

British variant of euphemization, combining eupheme (from Greek 'eupheme,' good speech) plus the suffix '-isation' (British spelling) rather than '-ization' (American).

Kelly Says

The fact that we needed to euphemise the word 'euphemism' into both '-ization' and '-isation' versions shows how languages always create variants—the same way we keep avoiding direct language.

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