Gesellschaft

n. a type of society (the literal meaning of this German word) or social group in which people feel relatively isolated from each other. Their relationships are primarily contractual in nature, being guided chiefly by rational self-interest and the logic of the marketplace. Compare Gemeinschaft. [first described in 1887 by German sociologist Ferdinand Julius Tönnies (1855–1936)]

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Psychology term of the day

March 16th 2025

onanism

n. coitus interruptus or masturbation. Onanism is named for the biblical character Onan, who “went to his brother’s wife and spilled it [his seed] on the ground” (Genesis 38:9).