/ay"leuh/ , n. , pl. alae /ay"lee/ .
1. a wing.
2. a winglike part, process, or expansion, as of a bone, shell, seed, or stem.
3. either of the two side petals of a flower in the legume family, as the pea.
4. (in an ancient Roman house) a small room, as an alcove, opening into a larger room or courtyard.
[ 1730-40; ala wing, armpit, shoulder, repr. * aks-la, deriv. of same base as axis axle (see AXIS 1 ); see AXLE ]