/ ˈmæsəkɪzəm; NAmE / noun [ U ]
1.
the practice of getting sexual pleasure from being physically hurt
—compare sadism
2.
( informal ) the enjoyment of sth that most people would find unpleasant or painful :
You spent the whole weekend in a tent in the rain? That's masochism!
► maso·chist / -kɪst; NAmE / noun
► maso·chis·tic / ˌmæsəˈkɪstɪk; NAmE / adjective :
masochistic behaviour / tendencies
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WORD ORIGIN
late 19th cent.: named after Leopold von Sacher- Masoch (1835–95), the Austrian novelist who described it + -ism .