ejaculation

Etymology

From French éjaculation.

noun

1. The act of throwing or darting out with a sudden force and rapid flight.
   Thus far, we have given a general account of Nicolas le Fèvre]'s theory. Further elaboration is to be found in his account of the generation of metals. Here it is suggested that it is light "which by its ejaculation and irradiation did imprint and stamp the Idea and Character of its vertue in water as in a general and convenient Matrix, to enable her afterwards to supply both matter and Form, Body and Spirit, Salt, Sulphur and Mercury, [and] all physical generations...". 1974, D. R. Oldroyd, “Some Neo-Platonic and Stoic Influences on Mineralogy in the 16th and 17th Centuries”, in Allen G. Debus, editor, Alchemy and Early Modern Chemistry: Papers from Ambix, [London]: Jeremy Mills Publishing for The Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry, published 2004, page 238
2. The uttering of a short, sudden exclamation or prayer, or the exclamation or prayer uttered.
   They say no graces; but when their meal is on the table, they sit silent and in a thoughtful posture for a short time, waiting for an illapſe of the Spirit. If they are not moved to make any ejaculation, they begin to eat without more ado. 1807 April, Francis Jeffrey, “A Portraiture of Quakerism, as Taken from a View of the Moral Education, Discipline, Peculiar Customs, Religious Principles, Political and Civil Economy, and Character, of the Society of Friends. By Thomas Clarkson, M.A. Author of several Essays on the subject of the Slave Trade. 8vo. 3 vols. London: 1806 [book review]”, in Contributions to the Edinburgh Review. … In Three Volumes, 2nd edition, volume III, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, published 1846, →OCLC, pages 385–386
   [T]hey entered, and drove slowly towards the village; leaving her with hands clasped and uplifted, as in the act of reiterating her fervent ejaculation for their happiness. Nor was her ejaculation wholly breathed in vain: of their felicity, however, suffice it to record, that blessed with a numerous progeny, Emily found herself completely embosomed in domestic bliss: […] 1826, William Child Green, The Woodland Family, or The Sons of Error and Daughters of Simplicity, A Domestic Tale, London: J. M'Gowan and Sons, →OCLC, page 556
3. (biology) The act of ejecting or suddenly throwing, as a fluid from a duct or other body structure.
   Dehiscence, or Ejaculation of Pollen or Seed.— The pollen of plants is the fecundating power, and consists of a number of small sacs, invisible to the naked eye, in which a fluid exists, which is analogous to the spermatic fluid in man and animals. 1837, Michael Ryan, The Philosophy of Marriage, in Its Social, Moral, and Physical Relations; with an Account of the Diseases of the Genito-urinary Organs which Impair or Destroy the Reproductive Function; and Induce a Variety of Complaints; with the Physiology of Generation in the Vegetable and Animal Kingdoms …, London: John Churchill, Princes' Street, Soho, →OCLC, page 210
   The spermatophores begin to ejaculate immediately after leaving the penis and the whole process is completed in a very few seconds. Pulling the filament attached to the ejaculatory end of a spermatophore is all that is needed to start its ejaculation. 20 June 1910, Gilman A. Drew, “Sexual Activities of the Squid, Loligo pealii (Les.). I. Copulation, Egg-laying and Fertilization”, in Journal of Morphology, volume 22, number 2, Philadelphia, Pa.: Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, published 1911, page 334
   1. (specifically) A reflex in human beings and other mammals in response to sexual stimulation involving the forcible ejection from the urethra of, in males, semen; and, in females, vaginal fluid.
      The moment of ejaculation in mammiferous animals is accompanied by universal excitement of the whole body, a kind of slight convulsion, which terminates in a comatose or exstatic state. 1837, Michael Ryan, The Philosophy of Marriage, in Its Social, Moral, and Physical Relations; with an Account of the Diseases of the Genito-urinary Organs which Impair or Destroy the Reproductive Function; and Induce a Variety of Complaints; with the Physiology of Generation in the Vegetable and Animal Kingdoms …, London: John Churchill, Princes' Street, Soho, →OCLC, page 191
      By repeating this process several times before ejaculation and by practicing this procedure, the man will learn to control his ejaculation. 1995, Louis Diamant, Richard D. McAnulty, editors, The Psychology of Sexual Orientation, Behavior, and Identity: A Handbook, Westport, Ct.: Greenwood Press, page 190
      In all my life I had never seen a woman discharge like that. Not only did she shoot out fuck like a man, but she accompanied her ejaculation with such furious cries, such energetic blasphemy, and such violent spasms, that one would have thought she was having an epileptic fit […] [Translation of the Marquis de Sade's Histoire de Juliette, IX:428.] 2001, Peter [Maxwell] Cryle, “Producing the Voice in Erotic Narrative”, in Brian Nelson, Anne Freadman, Philip Anderson, editors, Telling Performances: Essays on Gender, Narrative, and Performance, Newark, Del.: University of Delaware Press, page 117
      One of the most challenging of male sexual disorders is that of delayed ejaculation (DE). The man who cannot readily ejaculate either alone or, most typically, with a partner, feels thwarted, anxious, and sexually incompetent. 2006, Sandra R. Leiblum, editor, Principles and Practice of Sex Therapy, 4th edition, New York, N.Y.: Guilford Press, page 241
      Biologically described as the release of seminal fluid from the penis during the male sexual response cycle, male ejaculation is entangled with cultural beliefs about male sexual prowess and masculine authenticity. […] Due to the sexual, cultural, and personal significance of ejaculation, men and boys are vulnerable to prevalent messages about the timing, size, and frequency of their ejaculation. Ejaculation can be a visual representation of the measure of the man. 2014, Lisa Jean Moore, “Ejaculation (Male)”, in Michael Kimmel, Christine Milrod, Amanda Kennedy, editors, Cultural Encyclopedia of the Penis, Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, page 55