DictionaryAI

ale

noun
AYL/eɪl/

Pluralales

3 meanings of ale

Practice

  1. 1
    beer (brewed warm)nouncountable or uncountable
    A beer brewed with top-fermenting yeast at relatively warm temperatures, as distinct from lager.

    The brewery is known for its hand-pulled ale served straight from the cask.

    This pale ale has a fruity taste that you rarely find in a crisp lager.

  2. 2
    beer (no hops)noundatedcountable or uncountable
    In older usage, a beer brewed without hops.

    Before hops reached England, brewers flavored their ale with herbs instead.

    The monastery's ale contained no hops, only malt and spices.

    Note

    What defines the drink here is what it lacks, which is hops. Today, a drinker who asks for an ale usually means the warm-fermented style, hopped or not.

  3. 3
    country festivalnounobsoletecountable
    A festival held in the English countryside, named for the ale drunk at it.

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Origin

From Middle English "ale," from Old English "ealu," from Proto-Germanic "*alu" (compare Dutch "aal" and Swedish "öl"), ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "beer" or possibly "bitter," compare Lithuanian "alùs."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts