Alsace-Lorraine

American  

[al-sas-law-reyn, -loh-, -seys-, al-zas-law-ren] / ˈæl sæs lɔˈreɪn, -loʊ-, -seɪs-, al zas lɔˈrɛn /

noun

1. a region in NE France, including the former provinces of Alsace and Lorraine: part of Germany 1871–1919, 1940–45. 5,607 sq. mi. (14,522 sq. km).

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Alsace-Lorraine British  

noun

1. German name: Elsass-Lothringen.  an area of NE France, comprising the modern regions of Alsace and Lorraine: under German rule 1871–1919 and 1940–44. Area: 14 522 sq km (5607 sq miles)

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Other Word Forms

• Alsace-Lorrainer
  noun

Example Sentences

Alsace-Lorraine, forcibly annexed by Germany in 1871, was returned to France.

From Salon • Aug. 19, 2023

The French designed Plan XVII, which called for a major French offensive through Alsace-Lorraine to target the industrial heartland of Germany.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

The painting, by the French artist Hervé Di Rosa, comprises nine panels, each depicting a key moment in the annals of French lawmaking: the institution of paid holidays, the recuperation of Alsace-Lorraine.

From The New Yorker • Apr. 12, 2019

The French Bastille Day military parade became a fixture only in 1880, following the humiliating French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871 and the loss of the Alsace-Lorraine territory to Germany.

From Slate • Feb. 7, 2018

French troops had attacked German Alsace-Lorraine, confident that they could recover those two lost provinces.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman