Euphemisms

The English word “euphemism” is found for the first time in a book written in
1656 by Thomas Blount, Glossographia; it comes from Greek euphèmismos, which is
itself derived from the adjective euphèmos, “of good omen”.
Etymologically speaking, euphemism is linked to taboos, and traditionally consists in
replacing the original signifier, perceived as being offensive or unpleasant, by another
one.
In other words, euphemism is a generally inoffensive or polite expression used
in place of one that may be found offensive or suggest something unpleasant or
embarrassing. Sometimes euphemisms are intended to amuse others but at times they
can be used to make indirect and snarky remarks.
Euphemisms can take different forms, but they all involve substituting a word
or phrase considered to be less offensive than another. The substituted word might,
for example, be viewed as a less coarse choice, as when dang or darn is used instead
of damn or damned. Or it might replace a word viewed as insulting to a religious
figure, such as the various euphemisms for God (gosh) or Jesus (gee, jeepers, jeez). A
euphemism may also consist of an indirect softening phrase that is substituted for the
straightforward naming of something unpalatable. Thus, we hear of people being “let
go” rather than “fired”; civilians killed in war described as “collateral damage”; or
someone who has died having “kicked the bucket,” “passed away, “given up the
ghost,” or “joined one’s ancestors.”

Therefore, there is a theory that the word for bear became taboo in some
branches of Indo-European languages - notably the Germanic one - and it was
replaced by euphemisms. In the Germanic branch, the euphemism may have been
"the brown one," and thus the modern word "bear" (derived from Germanic "beran")
would more literally translate into the color "brown" rather than the animal.