ˈāl, ˈāəl noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English alu, ealu; akin to Middle High German als chaf vessel for beer, Old Saxon alo fat, Old Norse öl beer, ale, and perhaps to Latin alumen alum, Greek alydimos bitter
1. : a malted and hopped beverage that is usually higher in alcoholic content than beer, heavier in body, and more bitter and is brewed by top fermentation
2. : a country festival at which ale was the principal beverage
at wakes and ales — Ben Jonson
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- in ale