Main Entry: mas·och·ism

Pronunciation: \ˈmas-ə-ˌkiz-əm, ˈmaz-\

Function: noun

: a sexual perversion characterized by pleasure in being subjected to pain or humiliation especially by a love object—compare algolagnia, sadism

—mas·och·is·tic \ˌmas-ə-ˈkis-tik, ˌmaz-\ adjective

—mas·och·is·ti·cal·ly \ˌmas-ə-ˈkis-ti-k(ə-)lē, ˌmaz-\ adverb

Sa·cher–Ma·soch \ˈzäḵ-ər-ˈmäz-ȯḵ\ , Leopold von (1836–1895), Austrian novelist. Sacher-Masoch is most famous for his erotic novels. In these novels the characters dwell at length on sexual pleasure derived from pain. The subject matter reflects Sacher-Masoch's personal life. He had two wives and several mistresses with whom he acted out the sexual fantasies described in his fictional works. By 1893 masochism was an established medical term.