/ eɪl; NAmE / noun
1.
[ U , C ] a type of beer, usually sold in bottles or cans. There are several kinds of ale :
brown / pale ale
2.
[ C ] a glass, bottle or can of ale :
Two light ales please.
3.
[ U ] ( old-fashioned ) beer generally
—see also brown ale , ginger ale , real ale
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English alu , ealu , of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse o̧l . Formerly the word referred especially to the paler varieties of beer.