mas ‧ o ‧ chis ‧ m /ˈmæsəkɪz ə m/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Date: 1800-1900 ; Origin: Leopold von Sacher- Masoch (1836-95), Austrian writer who described such sexual behavior ]
1 . sexual behaviour in which someone gains pleasure from being hurt or punished ⇨ sadism , sado-masochism
2 . behaviour that makes it seem that someone wants to suffer or have problems:
Unconscious masochism seemed to drive her from one disaster to the next.
—masochist noun [countable]
—masochistic /ˌmæsəˈkɪstɪk◂/ adjective :
masochistic behavior
—masochistically /-kli/ adverb