alien

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See also: álien, alíen, alién, and Alien

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
aliens (3)

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English alien, a borrowing from Old French alien, aliene, from Latin aliēnus (belonging to someone else”, later “exotic, foreign), from Latin alius (other), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos. Related to English else.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈeɪ.li.ən/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

alien (plural aliens)

  1. A person, animal, plant, or other thing which is from outside the family, group, organization, or territory under consideration.
    • 2023 March 21 (last accessed), NOBANIS: European Network on Invasive Species:
      An animated film intended to inform travellers about the dangers that alien species present to Arctic ecosystems is being released today. The message is that it is important to ensure that nobody accidentally brings alien species with them as stowaways in their clothing, baggage or equipment.
  2. (sometimes derogatory) A person in a country not their own.
    • 1773, William Blackstone, Commentaries on the laws of England: in four books, 5th edition, volume 1, page 372:
      An alien born may purchase lands, or other estates: but not for his own use; for the king is thereupon entitled to them.
    • 1831, John Marshall, Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, U.S. Government:
      The counsel have shown conclusively that they are not a state of the union, and have insisted that individually they are aliens, not owing allegiance to the United States.
    • 1987, “Englishman in New York”, in …Nothing Like the Sun, performed by Sting:
      I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien
      I'm an Englishman in New York
    • 2004, Wesley Campbell, Stephen Court, Be a hero: the battle for mercy and social justice, Destiny Image Publishers, page 74:
      Aliens are aliens because of persecution or war or hardship or famine.
  3. Any life form of extraterrestrial or extradimensional origin.
    • 2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Hello from the Reds:
      You might not have much use for me. You spend too much time with the damn aliens, pretending your time in the gangs back on Earth never happened. I know you weren't happy when I found you at the Citadel a couple years back.
      But I'm glad you're on this. I hope you find whoever took my people on Freedom's Progress and kick their scaly asses. I'm glad it's a human finding these bastards.
  4. One excluded from certain privileges; one alienated or estranged.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible,  (King James Version), London: Robert Barker, , →OCLC, Ephesians 2:12, column 2:
      [] aliens from the common wealth of Iſrael []
    • 1928, Philip Mauro, “The Character of the Sermon on the Mount”, in The Gospel of the Kingdom, with an Examination of Modern Dispensationalism (Religion), Boston: Hamilton Brothers, →OCLC, page 182:
      The One Who, in this marvellous utterance, brings those who were by nature aliens and enemies of God into intimate and holy relations with God the Father, is the very One Who had to come to offer that Sacrifice without which such relationship would have been forever an impossibility; without which there would have been nothing for the best of men but death and judgment and the lake of fire.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

alien (comparative more alien, superlative most alien)

  1. Not belonging to the same country, land, or government, or to the citizens or subjects thereof; foreign.
    Synonyms: allotrious, strange; see also Thesaurus:foreign
    alien subjects, enemies, property, or shores
  2. Very unfamiliar, strange, or removed.
    Synonyms: monstrous, weird; see also Thesaurus:strange
    principles alien to our religion
  3. Pertaining to extraterrestrial life; typical of an extraterrestrial creature.
    Synonyms: extraterrestrial, nonterrestrial, xenomorphic
    • 1982, Douglas Adams, Life, the Universe and Everything, page 8:
      It had a peculiar alien tallness, a peculiar alien flattened head, peculiar slitty little alien eyes[.]

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb

alien (third-person singular simple present aliens, present participle aliening, simple past and past participle aliened)

  1. (transitive) To estrange; to alienate.
  2. (law) To transfer the ownership of something.

Alternative forms

Anagrams

Catalan

Pronunciation

Verb

alien

  1. third-person plural present indicative of aliar

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English alien (stranger, foreigner), from Middle English alien, from Old French alien, from Latin aliēnus.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈeː.li.ən/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: ali‧en

Noun

alien m (plural aliens)

  1. an alien, an extraterrestrial
    Synonyms: buitenaards wezen, ruimtewezen

Finnish

Etymology

< English alien, from Ridley Scott's film Alien from 1979.

Pronunciation

Noun

alien

  1. alien, extraterrestial (extraterrestrial creature, especially a dangerous one)
    Synonym: avaruusolento

Declension

Inflection of alien (Kotus type 6/paperi, no gradation)
nominative alien alienit
genitive alienin alienien
alieneiden
alieneitten
partitive alienia alieneita
alieneja
illative alieniin alieneihin
singular plural
nominative alien alienit
accusative nom. alien alienit
gen. alienin
genitive alienin alienien
alieneiden
alieneitten
partitive alienia alieneita
alieneja
inessive alienissa alieneissa
elative alienista alieneista
illative alieniin alieneihin
adessive alienilla alieneilla
ablative alienilta alieneilta
allative alienille alieneille
essive alienina alieneina
translative alieniksi alieneiksi
abessive alienitta alieneitta
instructive alienein
comitative See the possessive forms below.
Possessive forms of alien (Kotus type 6/paperi, no gradation)
first-person singular possessor
singular plural
nominative alienini alienini
accusative nom. alienini alienini
gen. alienini
genitive alienini alienieni
alieneideni
alieneitteni
partitive alieniani alieneitani
alienejani
inessive alienissani alieneissani
elative alienistani alieneistani
illative alieniini alieneihini
adessive alienillani alieneillani
ablative alieniltani alieneiltani
allative alienilleni alieneilleni
essive alieninani alieneinani
translative alienikseni alieneikseni
abessive alienittani alieneittani
instructive
comitative alieneineni
second-person singular possessor
singular plural
nominative alienisi alienisi
accusative nom. alienisi alienisi
gen. alienisi
genitive alienisi alieniesi
alieneidesi
alieneittesi
partitive alieniasi alieneitasi
alienejasi
inessive alienissasi alieneissasi
elative alienistasi alieneistasi
illative alieniisi alieneihisi
adessive alienillasi alieneillasi
ablative alieniltasi alieneiltasi
allative alienillesi alieneillesi
essive alieninasi alieneinasi
translative alieniksesi alieneiksesi
abessive alienittasi alieneittasi
instructive
comitative alieneinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular plural
nominative alienimme alienimme
accusative nom. alienimme alienimme
gen. alienimme
genitive alienimme alieniemme
alieneidemme
alieneittemme
partitive alieniamme alieneitamme
alienejamme
inessive alienissamme alieneissamme
elative alienistamme alieneistamme
illative alieniimme alieneihimme
adessive alienillamme alieneillamme
ablative alieniltamme alieneiltamme
allative alienillemme alieneillemme
essive alieninamme alieneinamme
translative alieniksemme alieneiksemme
abessive alienittamme alieneittamme
instructive
comitative alieneinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular plural
nominative alieninne alieninne
accusative nom. alieninne alieninne
gen. alieninne
genitive alieninne alienienne
alieneidenne
alieneittenne
partitive alienianne alieneitanne
alienejanne
inessive alienissanne alieneissanne
elative alienistanne alieneistanne
illative alieniinne alieneihinne
adessive alienillanne alieneillanne
ablative alieniltanne alieneiltanne
allative alienillenne alieneillenne
essive alieninanne alieneinanne
translative alieniksenne alieneiksenne
abessive alienittanne alieneittanne
instructive
comitative alieneinenne
Inflection of alien (Kotus type 6/paperi, no gradation)
nominative alien alienit
genitive alienin alienien
alieneiden
alieneitten
partitive alieniä alieneitä
alienejä
illative alieniin alieneihin
singular plural
nominative alien alienit
accusative nom. alien alienit
gen. alienin
genitive alienin alienien
alieneiden
alieneitten
partitive alieniä alieneitä
alienejä
inessive alienissä alieneissä
elative alienistä alieneistä
illative alieniin alieneihin
adessive alienillä alieneillä
ablative alieniltä alieneiltä
allative alienille alieneille
essive alieninä alieneinä
translative alieniksi alieneiksi
abessive alienittä alieneittä
instructive alienein
comitative See the possessive forms below.
Possessive forms of alien (Kotus type 6/paperi, no gradation)
first-person singular possessor
singular plural
nominative alienini alienini
accusative nom. alienini alienini
gen. alienini
genitive alienini alienieni
alieneideni
alieneitteni
partitive alieniäni alieneitäni
alienejäni
inessive alienissäni alieneissäni
elative alienistäni alieneistäni
illative alieniini alieneihini
adessive alienilläni alieneilläni
ablative alieniltäni alieneiltäni
allative alienilleni alieneilleni
essive alieninäni alieneinäni
translative alienikseni alieneikseni
abessive alienittäni alieneittäni
instructive
comitative alieneineni
second-person singular possessor
singular plural
nominative alienisi alienisi
accusative nom. alienisi alienisi
gen. alienisi
genitive alienisi alieniesi
alieneidesi
alieneittesi
partitive alieniäsi alieneitäsi
alienejäsi
inessive alienissäsi alieneissäsi
elative alienistäsi alieneistäsi
illative alieniisi alieneihisi
adessive alienilläsi alieneilläsi
ablative alieniltäsi alieneiltäsi
allative alienillesi alieneillesi
essive alieninäsi alieneinäsi
translative alieniksesi alieneiksesi
abessive alienittäsi alieneittäsi
instructive
comitative alieneinesi

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English alien (stranger, foreigner), from Middle English alien, from Old French alien, from Latin aliēnus.

Pronunciation

Noun

alien m (plural aliens)

  1. alien (extraterrestrial)

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old French alien, aliene, from Latin aliēnus. Some forms (chiefly nominal) show assimilation to the suffix -ant.

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /aːliˈɛːn/, /ˈaːliɛn/, /ˈaːliən/
  • (with assimilation) IPA(key): /ˈaːliant/, /ˈaːliau̯nt/

Noun

alien (plural aliens)

  1. An outsider or foreign person, especially if resident in one's nation.
    • c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)‎, published c. 1410, Joon 10:5, page 49v, column 1; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:
      But þei ſuen not an alien · but fleen from hym .· foꝛ þei han not knowen þe vois of aliens
      But they don't follow a stranger; they'll flee from them instead, because they don't recognise strangers' voices.
  2. One who is alien in some other way (e.g. religion, family)
  3. (rare) An unlawful occupier or possessor of land.
Descendants
  • English: alien
  • Scots: alien, awlien
References

Adjective

alien (plural and weak singular aliene)

  1. Outside, alien, foreign; from or relating to another nation.
  2. Religiously outside; heretical, erring; of false religion or morals.
  3. Distant, isolated, secure, away (from something)
  4. (rare) Under the authority of other nation's religious institutions.
  5. (rare) Not relating to or of oneself; not natural (to one's body).
  6. (rare) Bizarre, weird, exotic.
Descendants
References

Etymology 2

From Old French alier.

Verb

alien

  1. Alternative form of allien

Old French

Etymology

From Latin aliēnus.

Adjective

alien m (oblique and nominative feminine singular aliene)

  1. alien; foreign; non-native
    • 11th century, La Vie de Saint Alexis, BNF manuscript 19525
      alienes terres
      foreign lands

Declension

Case masculine feminine neuter
singular subject aliens aliene alien
oblique alien aliene alien
plural subject alien alienes alien
oblique aliens alienes alien

Noun

alien oblique singularm (oblique plural aliens, nominative singular aliens, nominative plural alien)

  1. alien (a non-native)

Declension

Case masculine feminine
singular subject aliens aliene
oblique alien aliene
plural subject alien alienes
oblique aliens alienes

Descendants

Portuguese

Alternative forms

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English alien (extraterrestrial life form). Doublet of alheio.

Pronunciation

  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈa.li.ẽj̃/ , (faster pronunciation) /ˈa.ljẽj̃/

Noun

alien m (plural aliens)

  1. alien; extraterrestrial life form
    Synonyms: alienígena, ET, extraterrestre

Spanish

Alternative forms

Etymology

English alien (extraterrestrial life form). Or clipping of alienígena

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈaljen/
  • Rhymes: -aljen
  • Syllabification: a‧lien

Noun

alien m (plural aliens)

  1. alien; extraterrestrial life form
    Synonyms: ET, extraterrestre

Further reading