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.
   • 1923, Arthur Conan Doyle, ‘The Adventure of the Creeping Man’, Norton (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 or psychologist.

Related terms

• alienism

Translations

an expert in mental illness

• French: aliéniste (fr)

• Portuguese: alienista (pt) m, f

psychiatrist — see psychiatrist

psychologist — see psychologist

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} alienisto

Anagrams

• Latinise, Taliesin, anilites, litanies