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mas·tur·ba·to·ry

(măstər-bə-tôr′ē)

adj.

1. Of or relating to masturbation.

2. Excessively self-indulgent or self-involved: "[The play's] star ... paces around his cell, smoking and snarling in a masturbatory rant" (Sam Whiting).

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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