Where does “alien” come from?

alien (Old French) comes from Latin aliēnus, from Latin alius, from Proto-Italic aljos, from Proto-Indo-European h₂élyos, from Proto-Indo-European h₂él- — to grow, nourish.

alien (Old French): alien; foreign; non-native; alien

Definitions

  1. alien; foreign; non-native; alien

Ancestry of “alien”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinaliēnusOf that which belongs to another person, place, or object—of another, alien, foreign
2Latinaliusother, another, any other; else; different
3Proto-Italicaljosanother
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂élyosother, another
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂él-to grow, nourish

Words derived from “alien”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂él- →