Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

ales

 - 4 dictionary results

-ales

 
Use ales in a Sentence
Botany.
a suffix of names of orders: Cycadales.
Origin:
< L pl. of -ālis -al 1

ale

  [eyl]
–noun
1. a malt beverage, darker, heavier, and more bitter than beer, containing about 6 percent alcohol by volume.
2. British. beer.
Origin:
bef. 950; ME; OE (e)alu (gen. ealoth); c. OS alo-, MD ale, ael, ON ǫl; Lith alùs, OCS olŭ; Finnish, Estonian olut; areal word of North Europe
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To ales
ale   (āl)   
n.  

  1. A fermented alcoholic beverage containing malt and hops, similar to but heavier than beer.

  2. A serving of this beverage.


[Middle English, from Old English ealu, alu; see alu- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

ale 
O.E. ealu "ale, beer," from P.Gmc. *aluth- (cf. O.S. alo, O.N. öl), perhaps from PIE root meaning "bitter" (cf. L. alumen "alum"), or from PIE *alu-t "ale," from base *alu-, a word with connotations of "sorcery, magic, possession, intoxication." The word was borrowed from Gmc. into Lith. (alus) and O.C.S. (olu). Ale and beer were synonymous until growing of hops began in England early 15c.
"[A]t present 'beer' is in the trade the generic name for all malt liquor
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see ales on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way