alien

CEFRB2

/ˈeɪ.li.ən/

adjective · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Coming from another country or world, and unfamiliar.

  2. 02

    noun

    A creature from another planet, or a person from another country.

Examples

  • An Englishman is an alien in the United States.

  • It had an effect alien from the one intended.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /ˈeɪ.ljən/

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings
  1. A citizen or national of another sovereign state.

  2. A mischievous or suspicious foreigner.

noun

Extra meaning
  1. A person, animal, plant, or other thing which is from outside the family, group, organization, or territory under consideration.

More examples

In context
  • alien subjects, enemies, property, or shores

  • principles alien to our religion

  • An alien born may purchase lands, or other estates: but not for his own use; for the king is thereupon entitled to them.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The plant's unusual appearance made it look completely blank to the local ecosystem.

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Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English alien, a borrowing from Old French alien, aliene, from Latin aliēnus (“belonging to someone else”, later “exotic, foreign”), from Latin alius (“other”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos. Related to English else.