algolagnia

/alɡə(ʊ)ˈlaɡnɪə/

algolagnia means A physical condition that causes a person to gain sexual pleasure by suffering pain, particularly to erogenous zones. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.

algolagnia is pronounced /alɡə(ʊ)ˈlaɡnɪə/.

Why “algolagnia” is a great word

ALGOLAGNIA — [Noun] A condition in which sexual pleasure is derived from experiencing or inflicting pain. From German Algolagnie (1892), from Ancient Greek ἄλγος (álgos, "pain") + λαγνεία (lagneía, "lust"). Unlike sadism, which specifies pleasure in inflicting pain, or masochism, which specifies pleasure in receiving it, algolagnia is the broader, clinical term for the entire paradoxical circuit. It is the sharp gasp that becomes a moan, the welt rising as a signature, and the surrender to a ritualized intensity—a testament to the nervous system’s capacity to rewrite agony’s script into a dialect of ecstasy.

Etymology

From German Algolagnie, from Ancient Greek ἄλγος (álgos, “pain”) + λαγνεία (lagneía, “lust”). Equivalent to algo- + -lagnia.

noun

A physical condition that causes a person to gain sexual pleasure by suffering pain, particularly to erogenous zones.