vulgarism

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree English vulgar Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English vulgarism From vulgar + -ism.

1. Vulgarity.

   “Amidst his manuscript notes for Democratic Vistas he [Walt Whitman] wrote himself a reminder to "offset the statement of depravity [and] vulgarism ... of the masses by a full acknowledgment of the latent heroism."”

2. A word or term that is considered offensive or vulgar.

   “"Shit" is a vulgarism.”

3. A spelling, word, or phrase used in common speech that is considered improper or incorrect for formal communication.

   “We never descended to the vulgarism of a quarrel. People said that neither of us had a heart, but it appears to me that politeness is an excellent substitute.”

   “Editors of newspapers allow more vulgarisms to go to print today than they used to.”