Enstranged

/ɛnˈstreɪndʒd/ adjective

Definition

Made strange or unfamiliar; alienated or estranged.

Etymology

From 'en-' plus 'stranged' (past tense of 'strange', an archaic verb). This follows the pattern where 'en-' creates a state of being—to enstrange is to make something strange or foreign in character.

Kelly Says

This rare word appears in Victorian literature to describe emotional distance or the feeling that something once familiar has become oddly foreign—it's a more poetic cousin of our modern 'estranged', capturing the eerie quality of the unfamiliar.

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