Abalienate

/æbˈeɪliəneɪt/ verb

Definition

To transfer the ownership of property to another person, or to estrange someone from something they previously had.

Etymology

From Late Latin 'abalienare' combining 'ab-' (away from) and 'alienare' (to make strange or transfer). This legal term was borrowed into English during the medieval period when property transfers were formally documented.

Kelly Says

This word is a legal grandparent to 'alienate'—it literally means to transfer something away from someone else, which is why both words share the root 'alien' (foreign, strange).

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