[L. form of El-sasz, i.e., foreign settlement, Fr. Alsace.]
1. A province west of the middle Rhine, which has formed a ‘debatable ground’ between France and Germany, whence,
2. Cant name for the precinct of White Friars in London, formerly a sanctuary for debtors and law-breakers; hence, an asylum for criminals.
1688. Shadwell (title), The Squire of Alsatia.
1822. Scott, Nigel, xvi. (1878), 204. The lawless and turbulent society of Alsatia.
1865. Daily Tel., 22 Dec., 4/6. The two countries are so closely allied that one cannot possibly be turned into an Alsatia for the criminals of the other.
