chiefly Brit a large dog of a wolflike breed originating in Germany, having with a dense brownish or blackish coat and often used as a guard dog or as a guide dog for blind people. Also called German shepherd
a person from Alsace in eastern France
Alsatian adj
medieval Latin Alsatia Alsace, region of France (formerly of Germany). The German shepherd was first called Alsatian during World War I to avoid the association with Germany; it did not originate in Alsace