Masochism is taking pleasure in your own pain or humiliation. Pure masochism, a streak of masochism, sheer masochism.
In loose use it means choosing something needlessly hard, as running a marathon is described. The word was coined in 1886 from the name of an Austrian novelist who wrote about it, alongside sadism from the Marquis de Sade.
1nounmasochismTaking pleasure in your own pain or humiliation.
“Running a marathon in this heat is pure masochism.”
masochism is a tendency.
Coined in 1886 by Krafft-Ebing from the name of the novelist Leopold von Sacher-Masoch.
German
Masochismus
English, today
masochism
From German Masochismus, coined alongside Sadismus in 1886 by Richard von Krafft-Ebing in his book Psychopathia Sexualis. Named after Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, whose novel "Venus in Furs" explores a sadomasochistic relationship, ism.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA