# abalienate

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/abalienate
Updated: 2026-05-02

## Senses

### 1. to transfer property

verb · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Formal · Technical

to give or sell your property or rights to another person.

For teachers: To transfer the title or ownership of property from one person to another. Transitive; primarily found in historical legal contexts.

- The lord chose to abalienate his lands to the local monastery.
- The ancient statutes dictated that the monarch could not abalienate crown lands without the express consent of the high council.

Teaching tip: This term is almost entirely replaced by 'alienate' or 'transfer' in modern legal English; it is best reserved for reading historical texts.

### 2. to estrange

verb · CEFR C2 · Archaic

to make someone stop feeling friendly or connected to you.

For teachers: To cause a person to become unfriendly or indifferent; to estrange in affection or loyalty.

- His cold behavior began to abalienate his closest friends.
- The king's increasingly erratic demands served only to abalienate his most loyal subjects, driving them toward the rebel cause.

Teaching tip: Modern speakers use 'alienate' or 'estrange' for this concept; 'abalienate' in this sense is considered obsolete.

### 3. to lose mental focus

verb · CEFR C2 · Archaic

to cause someone to lose their mind or ability to think clearly.

For teachers: To cause the loss or perversion of mental faculties or intellect.

- The high fever seemed to abalienate his mind for several days.
- Medical texts of the era suggested that certain toxins could abalienate the intellect, leaving the patient in a state of permanent confusion.

Teaching tip: This sense is obsolete and only appears in very old medical or philosophical writing.

## Examples

- The lord decided to abalienate his lands to the local monastery.
- Under the terms of the ancient treaty, the king could not abalienate any crown territory without the council's consent.
- The legal dispute centered on whether the previous owner had the right to abalienate the estate while it was still subject to a significant debt.

## Usage notes

- The verb is transitive and requires a direct object, typically a piece of property or a title.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.