I. Act., the transferring of the possession of a thing to another, so as to make it his property: “Alienatio tum fit, cum dominium ad alium transferimus,” Dig. 18, 1, 67; Sen. Ben. 5, 10. So, alienatio sacrorum, a transfer of the sacred rites (sacra) of one family (gens) to another, Cic. Or. 42, 144; so id. Leg. 3, 20, 48.—
II. Neutr., the transferring of one's self, i. e. the going over to another; hence,
A. Trop., a separation, desertion, aversion, dislike, alienation (the internal separating or withdrawing of the feeling of good-will, friendship, and the like; while disjunctio designates merely an external separation): “tuam a me alienationem commendationem tibi ad impios cives fore,” Cic. Phil. 2. 1: “alienatio consulum,” id. Q. Fr. 1, 4: “alienatio disjunctioque amicitiae,” id. Lael. 21, 76: “alienatio exercitūs (opp. benevolentia),” Caes. B. C. 2, 31: “in Vitellium alienatio,” Tac. H. 2, 60: “alienatio patrui,” id. A. 2, 43: “Numquid non perditio est iniquo, et alienatio operantibus injustitiam,” Vulg. Job, 31, 3.—
B. In medic. lang.: “alienatio mentis,” aberration of mind, loss of reason, delirium, Cels. 4, 2; so Plin. 21, 21, 89, § 155: “continua,” Dig. 1, 18, 14; also without mentis: “alienatio saporque,” Sen. Ep. 78: alienationis in commoda, Firm. 4, 1.
