The word"Alsatian" can be both an adjective and a noun, and it has a couple of meanings.
1. Adjective
Meaning: When usedas an adjective, "Alsatian" refers to something that is related toAlsace, a region in northeasternFrance, or to the peoplewholivethere.
Usage: You mightuseit when talkingabout the culture, language, orfood of Alsace. For example, you could say, "The Alsatiancuisine is known for itsdelicioussausages and sauerkraut."
2. Noun
Meaning: As a noun, "Alsatian" can refer to: a. A breed of largedogs, known for their intelligence and strength. They areoftenused in police workorasguidedogs for blindpeople. b. A nativeorinhabitant of Alsace.
Usage: For example, "The Alsatian is a loyal and protectivedog" or "She is an AlsatianwhospeaksbothFrench and German."
Examples
Adjective: "The Alsatianwine is famous for itsquality."
Noun (dog): "My neighbor has an Alsatian that he trains for securitywork."
Noun (inhabitant): "As an Alsatian, he takespride in hisuniqueculturalheritage."
AdvancedUsage
You mightencounter "Alsatian" in discussionsaboutregionalidentityor in contextsrelating to historicalaspects of France and Germany, since Alsace has a complexhistory of beingpart of both nations.
WordVariants
Thereare no directvariants of "Alsatian," but you mightcome acrossrelatedtermslike "Alsace" (the region) or "Alsacian" which can be usedinterchangeably, though "Alsatian" is morecommon.
DifferentMeanings
The mainmeaningsarerelated to the regionor the dogbreed. Thereare no significantalternatemeaningsoutside these contexts.
Synonyms
For the dogbreed, you mighthear "German Shepherd" since it is oftenreferred to by that name in many places.
For the inhabitants of Alsace, you could simplyuse "people from Alsace" or "Alsacenative."
Idioms and PhrasalVerbs
Thereare no specificidiomsorphrasalverbsassociated with "Alsatian." It is primarilyused in the contextsmentionedabove.
Summary
In summary, "Alsatian" can describesomeoneorsomething from Alsace, orrefer to a specificbreed of dogknown for itswork invariousfields.
Adjective
of orrelating to orcharacteristic of Alsaceoritsinhabitants
Noun
breed of largeshepherddogsused in police work and as a guide for the blind