alienation of affection
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˌeɪliəˈneɪʃən əv əˈfɛkʃən/
- Formal
:
alienación de afecto
- Causes of action can sometimes be eliminated, as has happened in many jurisdictions for torts such as alienation of affections and criminal conversation.
Examples
-
So Joseph has done... well, just a whole lot of good work for us in the past Whenever we've needed a witness or a third party for, I don't know, a petition of grievance or alienation of affection.
-
Mr. Albemarle said, "You mean, when a man finds his wife naked on another man's sailboat and he sues the yachtsman for alienation of affection?"
Fiction book (1997) -
"We are the secret agents, as it were, in cases of alienation of affection."
Fiction book (1997) -
Does it address the roots of the alienation of affection?
Blog text (23) -
In North Carolina, you can file an alienation of affection lawsuit if you believe someone has caused your spouse to lose affection for you.
-
Jennifer's alienation of affection case against her husband's lover highlighted the emotional pain caused by their affair.
-
He was advised by his lawyer to consider an alienation of affection claim after his wife left him for another man.
Surface Forms
Morphology
alienation + of + affection
The phrase literally combines 'alienation' (estrangement) and 'affection' (love), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely infer a general meaning of causing someone to lose affection. However, the specific legal sense — a formal cause of action/specialized tort for suing a third party — is a domain-specific extension not fully predictable from the parts, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Alienation of affection comes from older law where alienation means 'to take away' and affection means 'love'. It paints the image of a third person coming between a couple and making a partner's love disappear, so the hurt spouse could 'sue' for that loss.