alienist

[ eyl-yuh-nist, ey-lee-uh- ]

/ ˌeɪl yə nɪst, ˌeɪ li ə- /

noun

(formerly) a doctor specializing in the treatment of mental illness.

an expert witness in a sanity trial.

Nearby words

alienee, alieni generis, alieni juris, alienia, alienism, alienist, alienor, alif, aliform, aligarh, alight

Origin of alienist

1860–65; alien(ation) + -ist; compare French aliéniste in same sense

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for alienist

The alienist especially has demonstrated the significant influence of childhood upon adult motives and conduct.
Rural Problems of Today|Ernest R. Groves
What is needed is abnormal psychology, entirely independent of the therapeutic interests of the alienist.
Psychotherapy|Hugo Mnsterberg
"Don't talk to me as if you were an alienist trying to examine an abstruse case, Evelina," he growled, with extreme temper.
The Tinder-Box|Maria Thompson Daviess
Well, and Rodney straightened up and said, 'Is that Randolph, the alienist!'
The Real Adventure|Henry Kitchell Webster

But there was my friend Dr. Alten, alienist, who lived within a mile of here.
Astounding Stories, April, 1931|Various

British Dictionary definitions for alienist

alienist

/ (ˈeɪljənɪst, ˈeɪlɪə-) /

noun

US a psychiatrist who specializes in the legal aspects of mental illness

obsolete a person who practises alienism

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for alienist

alienist

[ āl′yə-nĭst, ā′lē-ə- ]

n.

A physician accepted by a court of law as an expert on the mental competence of principals or witnesses.