ale

A beer made without hops.

Noun

  1. A beer made without hops.
  2. A beer produced by so-called warm fermentation and not pressurized.
  3. A festival in English country places, so called from the liquor drunk.

Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂elut-der. Proto-Germanic *alu Proto-West Germanic *alu Old English ealu Middle English ale English ale From Middle English ale, from Old English ealu, ealo, from Proto-West Germanic *alu, from Proto-Germanic *alu (compare Dutch aal, Icelandic and Swedish öl (“beer”), Danish, Faroese, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk øl (“beer”)), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂elut- (“beer”), or *h₂elu- (“bitter”). Compare Russian ол (ol), Lithuanian alùs, Armenian օղի (ōġi); compare also Latin alum (“comfrey”), alūta (“tawed leather”), Ancient Greek ἀλύδοιμος (alúdoimos, “bitter”).

Forms

ales eale

Synonyms

beer yill

Related

alehouse bridal

Derived

Adam's ale alebench ale-bench ale bench ale-blown ale-bush ale-conner aleconner ale conner alecy ale-draper ale-drapery ale gallon ale-hoof ale-house alekeep alekeeper ale-knight alelike alemonger ale pole ale-pole alepole ale post