Sadomasochism
/ˌseɪdoʊˈmæsəkɪzəm/noun
Sexual or psychological interest in receiving and inflicting pain, humiliation, or control, often involving consensual role-play.
Did you know?The term was coined by Austrian psychiatrist Richard von Krafft-Ebing in 1886 by combining the names of the Marquis de Sade and Leopold von Sacher-Masoch.
Etymological Timeline
18th Century
French
de Sade
“The surname of Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade, whose writings inspired the term “sadism”; the surname’s own origin is not securely established.”
19th Century
German
Sacher-Masoch
“The surname of Austrian writer Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, whose fiction inspired the term “masochism”; “Masoch” is a family name, not an ancient word meaning pain.”
1886
German
Sadismus / Masochismus
“Krafft-Ebing introduced the psychiatric terms in Psychopathia Sexualis, naming patterns associated respectively with inflicting and receiving suffering.”
Late 19th Century
German
Sadomasochismus
“A compound combining Sadismus and Masochismus to describe their association in one pattern of sexual behavior or psychology.”
20th Century
English
sadomasochism
“English adopted the German-derived compound as a term for consensual or nonconsensual dynamics involving pain, domination, submission, or humiliation.”
Modern English
English
sadomasochism
“A modern term used in psychology, sexuality studies, and popular culture, with consensual BDSM practices distinguished from abuse or coercion.”