[
jen-tee-liz-uhm] 
| a word or phrase used in place of another, supposedly less genteel term: “Limb” is a genteelism for “leg.” |
| gen·teel·ism (jěn-tēl'ĭz'əm) n. A word or expression thought by its user to be more refined than another, as in expectorate for spit. |