Definition

1. Noun:
   • The quality or state of being alien; foreignness: "Alienism" refers to the condition of being foreign, strange, or not belonging.
   • An obsolete term for psychiatry: Historically, "alienism" was used to denote the study and treatment of mental illness, with a practitioner called an "alienist."

Usage Examples

• Noun (Foreignness):
  • The alienism of the customs made it difficult for the settlers to integrate. (The foreignness of the customs...)
  • He felt a sense of alienism in the unfamiliar city.
• Noun (Obsolete Psychiatry):
  • In the 19th century, alienism was a common term for what we now call psychiatry.
  • The alienism of that era relied on methods considered primitive today.

Advanced Usage

• Historical/Legal Context: In historical legal or medical texts, "alienism" specifically referred to the branch of medicine dealing with mental alienation or disorders.
  • The court consulted an expert in alienism to assess the defendant's state of mind.

Variants and Related Words

• Alienist (n): The now-obsolete term for a psychiatrist or a specialist in mental diseases.
  • The alienist submitted his report to the judge.
• Alien (adj/n): Foreign; a foreigner.
• Alienation (n): The state of being alienated or estranged.

Synonyms

• Foreignness: The quality of being from another country or culture.
• Exoticism: The quality of being strikingly and intriguingly unusual or unfamiliar.
• Psychiatry (for the obsolete meaning): The modern study and treatment of mental illness.

Antonyms

• Nativeness: The quality of belonging to a particular place by birth or origin.
• Familiarity: The state of being well known from long or close association.

Notes

• Usage Note: The meaning related to psychiatry is archaic and is rarely used in modern English outside of historical discussions. The meaning related to foreignness is also uncommon, with words like "foreignness" or "strangeness" being preferred.

Noun

1. the quality of being alien
2. an obsolete term for the study and treatment of mental illness