Onan

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A biblical figure noted for his reluctance in producing offspring by his deceased brother's wife, often referenced in discussions of withdrawal during intercourse or incomplete procreation
2. A person from a biblical account whose actions led to the term now associated with certain sexual practices involving withdrawal to avoid pregnancy or fulfill personal desires without conception
3. An ancient character whose story has influenced language concerning specific sexual behavior aimed at preventing conception through deliberate ejaculation outside the reproductive tract

Etymology: Onan is a figure from the Hebrew Bible, a son of Judah in the book of Genesis. When his brother Er died without children, Onan was expected to father a child with the widow Tamar so the dead man's line would continue. Onan spilled his seed on the ground rather than give Tamar a child, and God struck him down for it. The name Onan, from Hebrew "onán," thus came to be attached to a deliberate act rather than to a person's identity. The story's lasting influence is in the word "onanism," which took on the sense of masturbation and, more broadly, withdrawal or interrupted intercourse to avoid conception. Medieval and early modern writers, especially theologians, drew on the episode to condemn such practices, and the name became a shorthand for them. The Genesis passage itself says nothing explicit about masturbation, so the sense of the term reflects later interpretation rather than the original text.