ale

[ eyl ]

noun

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

Origin of ale

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

Words that may be confused with ale

ale , ail, awl

Other definitions for A.L.E. (2 of 2)

A.L.E.

abbreviationInsurance.

additional living expense.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for ale

ale

/ (eɪl) /

noun

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

mainly British another word for beer

Origin of ale

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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