onanism

Definition

onanism rate

(Adult / Slang)

1. Masturbation. In his Onanism: or Treatise upon the Disorders Produced by Masturbation (1766), A. Hume warns the reader that the perverse and degenerate practice of onania can cause insanity, deafness, blindness, hairy palms, and withering away of the penis. See masturbation for synonyms.

QUOTE: Lawrence Paros. The Erotic Tongue (1984): ' Onanism was man's first somewhat unoriginal sin: both a fall from grace and a nasty spill.'

2. More rarely, coitus interruptus or withdrawal of the penis from the vagina prior to ejaculation.

ETYMOLOGY: From a passage in the the Old Testament (Genesis 38:9-10) in which Onan, son of Judah, is required by Levirate law to marry the childless widow of his deceased brother Er in order to provide a son to continue Er's lineage and inherit his property. Onan went to his brothers widow and ' spilled his seed on the ground ' rather than impregnate her. Theologians of the 18 ^th century misinterpreted the story of Onan as a condemnation not only of withdrawal but also of masturbation.

SYNONYMS: coitus interruptus; French method; interrupted coitus; pulling out; withdrawal method.