Category:Alien

Al"ien, a. Etym: [OF. alien, L. alienus, fr. alius another; properly, therefore, belonging to another. See Else.]

1. Not belonging to the same country, land, or government, or to the citizens or subjects thereof; foreign; as, alien subjects, enemies, property, shores.

2. Wholly different in nature; foreign; adverse; inconsistent (with); incongruous; -- followed by from or sometimes by to; as, principles alien from our religion. An alien sound of melancholy. Wordsworth. Alien enemy (Law), one who owes allegiance to a government at war with ours. Abbott.

Al"ien, n.

1. A foreigner; one owing allegiance, or belonging, to another country; a foreign-born resident of a country in which he does not posses the privileges of a citizen. Hence, a stranger. See Alienage.

2. One excluded from certain privileges; one alienated or estranged; as, aliens from God's mercies. Aliens from the common wealth of Israel. Ephes. ii. 12.

Al"ien, v. t. Etym: [F. aliéner, L. alienare.]

Defn: To alienate; to estrange; to transfer, as property or ownership. [R.] "It the son alien lands." Sir M. Hale. The prince was totally aliened from all thoughts of. . . the marriage. Clarendon.

---excerpt from the Illustrated Bible Dictionary.

Alien - A foreigner, or person born in another country, and therefore not entitled to the rights and privileges of the country where he resides. Among the Hebrews there were two classes of aliens.

(1.) Those who were strangers generally, and who owned no landed property.

(2.) Strangers dwelling in another country without being naturalized (Leviticus 22:10; Psalms 39:12). Both of these classes were to enjoy, under certain conditions, the same rights as other citizens (Leviticus 19:33, Leviticus 19:34; Deuteronomy 10:19). They might be naturalized and permitted to enter into the congregation of the Lord by submitting to circumcision and abandoning idolatry (Deuteronomy 23:3). This term is used (Ephesians 2:12) to denote persons who have no interest in Christ.