noun
alienist
AYL-ee-uh-nist/ˈeɪliənɪst/
An old term for a psychiatrist, especially in legal contexts.
In the historical novel, an alienist examines the accused prisoner.
Etymology
Alienare also meant to deprive someone of reason, giving alienation an older sense of mental derangement. An alienist was a specialist in that condition—the role now called a psychiatrist.
In context
treatment by an alienist didn't mean sitting on a nice leather couch and talking about your feelings. >> No. It often meant being banished to a massive imposing brick mental asylum
More examples
- The court records include testimony from an alienist.
- Two alienists disagreed about the defendant's mental condition.
- The museum explains why physicians once used the title alienist.
Forms
alienist · alienists
Similar words
- psychiatrist
- The current medical term rather than the historical label.