Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “masochism” come from?

masochism (English) comes from French masochisme, from French -ïsme, from Latin -isma, from Latin -ismus, from Ancient Greek -ισμός, from Ancient Greek -μός, from Proto-Indo-European -mós — Creates action/result nouns from verb stems.

masochism (English): The enjoyment of receiving pain or humiliation

Definitions

  1. The enjoyment of receiving pain or humiliation

Ancestry of “masochism”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchmasochismemasochism
2French-ïsme-ism, variant of -isme following vowels
3Latin-ismaAlternative form of -ismus; -ism
4Latin-ismus-ism
5Ancient Greek-ισμόςForms abstract nouns
6Ancient Greek-μόςForms abstract nouns
7Proto-Indo-European-mósCreates action/result nouns from verb stems

Words derived from “masochism”

  • sadomasochism
  • ethnomasochism
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -mós →