alienus

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [a.liˈeː.nʊs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [a.liˈɛː.nus]^[1]

Forms

aliēnus (feminine aliēna, neuter aliēnum, comparative aliēnior, superlative aliēnissimus); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is from alius “other” with the suffix -ēnus.^[2][1][3] ⟨Alius⟩ goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- (“other, beyond”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citation is the Twelve Tables, of what belongs to another, and Köbler dates them about 450 BC.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

It meant belonging to another, not one's own, as Cicero's men who tilled their own fields and did not covet others', of another's spouse, and aes aliēnum “debt”.^[2][5] It meant unusual, unconnected, foreign, as in Plautus, unrelated by blood, and unfamiliar, strange.^[2] Of persons and feelings it meant unfriendly, estranged, averse, as in Cicero, and of things unsuitable, incompatible, irrelevant, or harmful, of places and times unfavourable.^[2] In Sallust it meant mentally disturbed.^[2] As a noun it meant another's slave, a foreigner, an outsider.^[2]

In Medieval Latin it meant deprived of something, and alien, a foreigner.^[6][7] It survives in Spanish ajeno and Portuguese alheio.^[1] English alien came through Old French about 1300.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 450 BC – The Twelve Tables use it of another's property.^[2][4]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of foreign and strange things.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of others' fields and of unfriendly feelings.^[2][5][4]
• c. 1300 – English alien is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Belonging to another, aes aliēnum, debt.^[2]
2. Unusual; unconnected.^[2]
3. Foreign; unrelated; strange.^[2]
4. Unfriendly, estranged; averse.^[2]
5. Unsuitable, incompatible; irrelevant.^[2]
6. Unfavourable, harmful.^[2]
7. Mentally disturbed.^[2]

Noun

1. A foreigner, alien; an outsider.^[2]

Word family

• aliēnigenus
• aliēniloquium
• alienitas
• alienum

Related words

• alius
• alter
• English alien

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
7. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press