genteelism
gen·teel·ism
(jĕn-tēl′ĭz′əm)n.
A word or expression thought by its user to be more refined than another, as in expectorate for spit.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
genteelism
(dʒɛnˈtiːlɪzəm)n
a word or phrase used in place of a less genteel one
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
gen•teel•ism
(dʒɛnˈti lɪz əm)n.
a word or phrase used in place of another, supposedly less genteel term.
[1925–30]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
genteelism
1. the deliberate use of a word or phrase as a substitute for one thought to be less proper, if not coarse, as male cow for buil or limb for leg.
2. an instance of such substitution.
See also: Language2. an instance of such substitution.
a polished style and graceful form in literary works.
See also: Literary Style-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.