Etymograph

English

alienate

Alienate may come from Latin alienātus ‘alienated’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEalienātus1‘alienated’uncertain
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1832alienate1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English alienate
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1832, Isaac Taylor, Saturday Evening. […]: “The recollection of his former life is a dream…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEalienātusWiktionary, English alienate‘alienated’uncertain
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1832alienateWiktionary, English alienate. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1832, Isaac Taylor, Saturday Evening. […]: “The recollection of his former life is a dream…”

The story

Either from the above adjective or directly borrowed from Latin alienātus, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Every English word from Latin alienātus

Today it means

verb To convey or transfer to another, as title, property, or right; to part voluntarily with ownership of.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “alienate”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin alienātus / alienate

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