ale

¹

[ eyl ]

noun

1. a malt beverage, darker, heavier, and more bitter than beer, containing about 6 percent alcohol by volume.
2. British. beer ( def 1 ).

A.L.E.

²

abbreviation for

, Insurance.

1. additional living expense.

ale

/ eɪl /

noun

1. a beer fermented in an open vessel using yeasts that rise to the top of the brew Compare beer lager 1
2. (formerly) an alcoholic drink made by fermenting a cereal, esp barley, but differing from beer by being unflavoured by hops
3. another word for beer

Word History and Origins

Origin of ale¹

First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English (e)alu (genitive ealoth ); cognate with Old Saxon alo-, Middle Dutch ale, ael, Old Norse ǫl; Lithuanian alùs, Old Church Slavonic olŭ; Finnish, Estonian olut

Word History and Origins

Origin of ale¹

Old English alu, ealu; related to Old Norse öl, Old Saxon alofat

Example Sentences

After finishing a delicious strawberry cream ale, I went to the back to greet Jess.

From Los Angeles Times

Gavin John, uses his craft ale bar in the town centre to showcase local creativity as well by putting on music and comedy nights as well as poetry sessions.

From BBC

The park shared the hard work of volunteers on social media in good humour, and said they all deserved “an extra flagon of Sherwood ale”.

From BBC

He remembers two politicians who would eat together and regularly put in the same order: "Two working man's portions of your beef and two pewter mugs of your finest ales."

From BBC

If you thought that going sober meant signing up for a lifetime of tepid ginger ale, think again.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• brew
• malt
• suds