Masturbation, noun

1. The stimulation, usually by hand, of one's genitals for sexual pleasure;
the action or practice of masturbating oneself or (less commonly) another
person; an instance of this.

1603 J. FLORIO tr. Montaigne Ess. II. xii. 340 Diogenes in sight of all,
exercising his Maisterbation, bredde a longing desire..in the by-standers. 1706
E. BAYNARD in J. Floyer Hist. of Cold Bathing (ed. 2) II. 68 That cursed School
wickedness of Masturbation, (res fæda dictu) by which many a young Gentleman
has been for ever undone. 1724 B. MANDEVILLE Modest Def. Publick Stews 30 There
are three Ways by which lewd young Men destroy their natural Vigour..: First, By
Manufriction, alias Masturbation. 1766 A. HUME tr. S. A. D. Tissot Onanism iii.
23 He gave himself up to masturbation, which he repeated every day. 1827 Aegis
of Life (ed. 18) II. vi. 99 Previous to his death he confessed that
masturbation was the cause. 1842 Boston Med. & Surg. Jrnl. 14 Sept. 106 She
acknowledged..that she was taught the practice of masturbation at the age of 11
years, while at boarding school. 1924 J. RIVIERE et al. tr. Freud Coll. Papers
I. 90 Neurasthenics whose potency has already been seriously diminished by
masturbation. 1974 Daily Tel. 3 Oct. 3/3 For the £15 massage with
masturbation the girls received £3 commission. 1990 Cosmopolitan (U.K. ed.) Jan.
55/1 Using masturbation to climax is the way some women find their own way to the peak.
    

2. fig.

1820 BYRON Let. 9 Nov. (1977) VII. 225 Mr. Keats..appears to me what I have
already said;such writing is a sort of mental masturbationhe is always fggg his
Imagination. 1951 R. CAMPBELL Light on Dark Horse xxiii. 346 The liberaloid
mentality that they had acquired from reading the masturbations of..Rousseau.
1990 New Eng. Monthly Mar. 30/1 We've got more important things to do than get
bogged down in an intellectual masturbation and debating society.