Jump to:

• ale
  ale

  noun

  a malt beverage, darker, heavier, and more bitter than beer, containing about 6 percent alcohol by volume.
• A.L.E.
  A.L.E.

  abbreviation

  additional living expense.

ale

¹ American  

[eyl] / eɪl /

noun

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

2. British. beer.

---

A.L.E. ² American  

abbreviation

Insurance.

1. additional living expense.

---

ale British  

/ 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

---

Etymology

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

Explanation

Ale is a particular type of beer. Ale would be a good thing to order if you ever visit a pub in Britain. Ale is yeast-fermented beer, brewed with sweet-tasting malted barley, and often with hops, to balance the sweetness with a more bitter flavor. In Britain, ale is considered to be any beer "other than lager, stout, or porter," while in the US ale is distinguished by the style of fermentation. The Old English origin of ale is ealu, "ale or beer." The Proto-Indo-European root has an implied meaning of "sorcery, magic, and intoxication."

Example Sentences

Ilya passes Shane his signature ginger ale across the counter and says, “You like tuna melt?”

From Salon • Feb. 15, 2026

I took a seat beneath Singapore’s second-oldest edifice, Caldwell House, built in 1841 for a clerk to the magistrates, and in Anglo spirit, ordered fish and chips with an ale.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

The Puzzle Hall Inn is a "real ale pub" in Sowerby Bridge that supports "local people, suppliers and independent business", according to its website.

From BBC • Aug. 15, 2025

I coughed up $15.99 for Wi-Fi—much more than most airlines charge—and $9.98 for Pringles and a can of ginger ale.

From Slate • Oct. 15, 2024

Inns brimmed to overflowing with customers who bought food and ale and trinkets.

From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate

Related Words

• brew
• malt
• suds