Lha·sa (lä?s?, l?s??) A city of southwest China, the capital of Tibet. Since the mid-1600s, it has been the official residence of the Dalai Lama and the center of Tibetan Buddhism.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.Lhasa (?l??s?) or Lassan (Placename) a city in SW China, capital of Tibet, at an altitude of 3606 m (11 830 ft): for centuries the sacred city of Lamaism and residence of the Dalai Lamas from the 17th century until 1950; known as the Forbidden City because it was closed to Westerners until the beginning of the 20th century; annexed by China in 1951. The Dalai Lama fled after an unsuccessful revolt against Chinese rule in 1959. Pop: 131 000 (2005 est)Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014Lha?sa (?l? s?, -s?, ?læs ?) n. the capital of Tibet, in SW China: sacred city of Lamaism. 310,000. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.