estranei

Estranei is the plural masculine form of estraneo, an Italian word used as both adjective and noun. As an adjective, estraneo describes something or someone that does not belong to a particular group, place, or context, i.e., foreign, unfamiliar, or not part of the usual setting. As a noun, estranei refers to people who are not known within a given circle or who come from outside a group, commonly translated as “foreigners” or “strangers.”

Etymology and forms: the term derives from Latin extraneus, meaning outside or external. In Italian, the adjective and noun have gendered forms: masculine singular estraneo, feminine singular estranea; masculine plural estranei, feminine plural estranee. The feminine plural estranee is standard, though less common in everyday speech than the masculine plural.

Usage: estraneo is used to express both physical foreignness and social or relational distance. It appears in phrases such as un estraneo (a stranger) or gli estranei (the strangers/foreigners). The expression essere estraneo a qualcosa indicates a lack of familiarity or relation to a matter or field. The term can carry neutral or contextually negative connotations depending on tone and discourse.

Cultural and linguistic notes: in literature and everyday language, estranei can describe outsiders in social dynamics, migration, or encounters with unfamiliar ideas. It is related closely to synonyms like straniero, allontanato, and estraneità, the latter referring to foreignness or estrangement as a concept.

See also: straniero; estraneità; estraneo in related grammatical forms.