Etymology Explorer › Old French

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-.

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

Definitions

  1. alien; foreign; non-native; alien

Ancestry of “alien”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinaliēnus—
2Latinaliusother, another, any other; else; different
3Proto-Italicaljos—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂élyosother, another
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂él-—

Words derived from “alien”

  • allies
  • alien
  • ally
  • Allies
  • unalienable
  • alienable
  • alienage
  • alienability
  • alienness
  • alienee
  • alienism
  • unalienably
  • nonalien
  • antialien
  • alienably
  • alliable
  • alienlike
  • unalliable
  • coally
  • alienization
  • alienly
  • alienize
  • nonally
  • misally
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂él- →