ala

¹

[ ey-luh ]

noun

, plural a·lae [ey, -lee].

1. a wing.
2. a winglike part, process, or expansion, as of a bone, shell, seed, or stem.
3. either of the two side petals of a flower in the legume family, as the pea.
4. (in an ancient Roman house) a small room, as an alcove, opening into a larger room or courtyard.

Ala

²

[ ah-lah ]

noun

1. Hus·sein [h, oo, -, seyn], 1888–1964, Iranian statesman and diplomat: premier in 1951 and from 1955 to 1957.

Ala

³

abbreviation for

, Biochemistry.

1. alanine.

Ala.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. Alabama.

A.L.A.

⁵

abbreviation for

1. American Library Association.
2. Associate in Liberal Arts.
3. Authors League of America.
4. Automobile Legal Association.

Ala.

¹

abbreviation for

1. Alabama

ala

²

/ ˈeɪlə /

noun

1. zoology a wing or flat winglike process or structure, such as a part of some bones and cartilages
2. botany a winglike part, such as one of the wings of a sycamore seed or one of the flat petals of a sweet pea flower

Word History and Origins

Origin of ala¹

1730–40; < Latin āla wing, armpit, shoulder, representing *aks-lā, derivative of same base as axis axle ( axis ¹ ); axle

Word History and Origins

Origin of ala¹

C18: from Latin āla a wing

Example Sentences

His desire to shed light on the proliferation of license plate readers in his neighborhood in Huntsville, Ala., this year spurred an idea for a crowdsourced database where people across the world can upload the locations of the readers.

From Los Angeles Times

Then, I moved to Honolulu and started working at this giant mall there called Ala Moana.

From Los Angeles Times

He starred in several national plays and off-Broadway shows and was asked to sing at the funeral of civil rights activist Rosa Parks in Montgomery, Ala. He also served as a motivational speaker, traveling the country to talk to the next generation of journalists.

From Los Angeles Times

David Hahn of Dothan, Ala., has been on many cruises and said he was willing to pay the high price for Disney’s quality of service.

From Los Angeles Times

“At first I didn’t know what this feeling was but I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t feel like people are staring at me in a certain way,’’’ said 38-year-old Crystal Kim, who grew up in Mobile, Ala., but moved to Seoul in 2016.

From Los Angeles Times