court ladies' secret language; women's language of the Muromachi period
A historical sociolect used by court ladies in the Muromachi period, characterized by euphemistic and elegant expressions, often replacing direct terms with indirect or softened words.
Nyōbō kotoba is a distinctive style of speech used by court ladies in the imperial palace during the Muromachi period.
Words like 'okazu' (side dish) and 'ohiya' (cold water) are said to originate from nyōbō kotoba.