alienist

English

Etymology

From French aliéniste, from aliéné, for insane.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈeɪ.lɪ.ən.ɪst/

Noun

alienist (plural alienists)

1. (dated) An expert in mental illness, especially with reference to legal ramifications.
   • 1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 201:

     ‘Are you an alienist?’ I interrupted. ‘Every doctor should be - a little,’ answered that original, imperturbably.

   • 1923, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Creeping Man, Norton, published 2005, page 1644:

     “Speaking as a medical man,” said I, “it appears to be a case for an alienist. The old gentleman's cerebral processes were disturbed by the love affair.”

   • 1927, P. G. Wodehouse, 'The Small Bachelor', Arrow, 2008, page 72

     There was probably not an alienist in the land who, having listened so far, would not have sprung at George and held him down with one hand while with the other he signed the necessary certificate of lunacy. But Molly Waddington saw deeper into the matter.

2. (dated) A psychiatrist

Related terms

• alienism

Translations

an expert in mental illness

• French: aliéniste (fr) m or f
• Portuguese: alienista (pt) m or f
• Russian: алиени́ст (ru) m (alijeníst) (dated)

psychiatrist — see psychiatrist

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

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} alienisto

Anagrams

• Latinise, Taliesin, anilites, litanies

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French aliéniste.

Noun

alienist m (plural alieniști)

1. alienist

Declension

Declension of alienist

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) alienist	alienistul	(niște) alieniști	alieniștii
genitive/dative	(unui) alienist	alienistului	(unor) alieniști	alieniștilor
vocative	alienistule		alieniștilor