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flagellation

[ flaj-uh-ley-shuh n ]
/ ˌflædʒ əˈleɪ ʃən /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flagellation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or process of flagellating.
a masochistic or sadistic act in which the participants receive erotic stimulation from whipping or being whipped.

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RELATED WORDS

retribution, penitence, repentance, contrition, remorse, atonement, forgiveness, absolution, penance, compunction, mortification, sorrow, confession, compensation, rue, penalty, suffering, purgation, attrition, ruth

Nearby words

flagellar, flagellar antigen, flagellata, flagellate, flagellated, flagellation, flagellatory, flagelliform, flagellin, flagellosis, flagellum

Origin of flagellation

1400–50; late Middle English < Late Latin flagellātiōn-, stem of flagellātiō. See flagellate, -ion
Related formsself-flag·el·la·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for self-flagellation

Word Origin and History for self-flagellation

flagellation

n.

early 15c., "the scourging of Christ," from French flagellation or directly from Latin flagellationem (nominative flagellatio) "a scourging," from past participle stem of flagellare (see flagellum).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for self-flagellation

flagellation

[ flăj′ə-lā′shən ]

n.

Whipping oneself or another as a means of arousing or heightening sexual feeling.
The flagellar arrangement on an organism.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.