Alsatian
pronunciation
How to pronounce Alsatian in British English:
UK [ælˈseɪʃn]
How to pronounce Alsatian in American English:
US [ælˈseʃən]
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- Noun:
- breed of large shepherd dogs used in police work and as a guide for the blind
Word Origin
- Alsatian
- Alsatian: [17] Alsatian has been around since at least the late 17th century (although in early use it generally denoted not the Franco-German border province of Alsace but a no-go area in London, near the banks of the Thames, where criminals, vagabonds and prostitutes hung out, which was nicknamed ‘Alsatia’ because of the real Alsace’s reputation as a harbour for the disaffected).It really came into its own, however, during World War I. A breed of dog known as the ‘German sheepdog’ or ‘German shepherd dog’ (German deutscher Schäferhund) had been introduced into Britain, but understandably, between 1914 and 1918 its stock fell considerably. When it was reintroduced after the war it was thought politic to give it a less inflammatory name, so it became officially the ‘Alsatian wolf-dog’ (even though it has nothing to do with Alsace, and there is no element of wolf in its genetic make-up).It continued to be called the German shepherd in the USA, and in the latter part of the 20th century that usage crept back into Britain.
Example
- 1. But everyone knows she 's done it with an alsatian !
- 2. Because of animosity in wartime toward anything german , england renamed the breed alsatian .
- 3. He had his favorite alsatian dog poisoned and two other dogs in the household shot .
- 4. He had his favorite alsatian dog , blondi , poisoned and two other dogs in the household shot .
- 5. The trouble with having a big dog like an alsatian in a small flat is that it always seems .