alienism

noun

alien·​ism ˈā-lē-ə-ˌni-zəm 

ˈāl-yə-

1

: the status of a noncitizen : alienage

We enjoyed our alienism, our difference in speech and habits, the curiosity which we engendered.

—Mary Ellen Chase

2

dated : the study and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders : psychiatry

The nineteenth century—coinciding with the development of alienism, now known as psychiatry—saw the increased growth of institutions intended for the housing and medical treatment of the "insane."

—Joe Nickell

Word History

Etymology

alien entry 2 + -ism

First Known Use

1783, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for alienism

• autism
• fascism
• racism
• sikhism
• sophism
• statism
• sufism
• thomism
• tourism
• tropism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism