Aliene

/ˈeɪliən/ noun

Definition

An archaic or alternative spelling of alien; a foreign national or a person from another place or group.

Etymology

From Old French alien, from Latin alienus (belonging to another, foreign). This spelling variant appears in older English texts and legal documents from the 16th-17th centuries.

Kelly Says

Old legal documents use 'aliene' to refer to foreigners, but the spelling shift to 'alien' shows how English gradually standardized—English spelling was wildly inconsistent until the printing press made standardization possible.

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