alˈsāsh(ē)ə noun
( -s )
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: Alsatia (slang name for Whitefriars, a section of London that was a sanctuary for lawbreakers in the 17th century), from Medieval Latin Alsatia Alsace, Rhenish province long in dispute between France and Germany
: any asylum or refuge for criminals : a region without law
an Alsatia of dives, dance halls, and depravity — Herbert Asbury