ale

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ale"

Languages (41)

Translingual • English

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Afar • Ambonese Malay • Bambara • Basque • Buol • Czech • Dutch • Estonian • Finnish • French • Friulian • Haitian Creole • Italian • Kashubian • Latin • Lower Sorbian • Lule Sami • Lutuv • Mauritian Creole • Middle Dutch • Middle English • Northern Sami • Norwegian Nynorsk • Old Czech • Old English • Old Polish • Polish • Portuguese • Romanian • Serbo-Croatian • Silesian • Spanish • Swedish • Tagalog • Tarantino • Ternate • Upper Sorbian • West Makian • Yoruba

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Page categories

Translingual

Etymology

Clipping of English Aleut or Russian алеу́т (aleút).

Symbol

ale

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Aleut.

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Aleut terms

English

a pint of ale (1)

Alternative forms

• eale (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English ale, from Old English ealu, ealo, from Proto-West Germanic *alu, from Proto-Germanic *alu (compare Dutch aal, Swedish öl), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂elut- (“beer”), or *h₂elu- (“bitter”). Compare Russian ол (ol), Lithuanian alùs, Armenian օղի (ōġi); compare also Latin alum (“comfrey”), alūta (“tawed leather”), Ancient Greek ἀλύδοιμος (alúdoimos, “bitter”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /eɪl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪl

Noun

ale (countable and uncountable, plural ales)

1. (dated) A beer made without hops.
2. A beer produced by so-called warm fermentation and not pressurized.
3. A festival in English country places, so called from the liquor drunk.

Synonyms

• (liquor): beer (loosely), yill

Derived terms

• Adam's ale
• alebench
• ale-bench
• ale bench
• ale-blown
• ale-bush
• ale-conner
• aleconner
• ale conner
• alecy
• ale-draper
• ale-drapery
• ale gallon
• ale-hoof
• ale-house
• alekeep
• alekeeper
• ale-knight
• alelike
• alemonger
• ale pole
• ale-pole
• alepole
• ale post
• alepot
• aleshop
• ale silver
• ale stake
• ale-stake
• alestake
• ale-taster
• aletaster
• ale-washed
• ale-wife
• alewife
• aley
• alish
• audit ale
• bride-ale
• brown ale
• cakes and ale
• church-ale
• clerk-ale
• cockale
• cream ale
• double India pale ale
• English strong ale
• four-ale
• gill-ale
• ginger ale
• give ale
• heather ale
• imperial India pale ale
• India pale ale
• lamb-ale
• mild ale
• old ale
• pale ale
• pot ale
• potale
• real ale
• red ale
• scotale
• session ale
• small ale
• soul-ale
• Welsh ale
• yard of ale

Related terms

• alehouse
• bridal

Descendants

• → Dutch: ale
• → Finnish: ale
• → French: ale
• → German: Ale

Translations

beer produced by warm fermentation

• Afrikaans: aal (af)
• Arabic: مِزْر m (mizr)
• Armenian: էլ (hy) (ēl)
• Belarusian: эль m (elʹ)
• Bulgarian: ейл m (ejl)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 麥芽啤酒 / 麦芽啤酒 (mak⁶ ngaa⁴ be¹ zau²)

  Mandarin: 強麥酒 / 强麦酒 (qiángmàijiǔ), 麥芽啤酒 / 麦芽啤酒 (màiyá píjiǔ), 麥芽酒 / 麦芽酒 (màiyá jiǔ), 愛爾啤酒 / 爱尔啤酒 (ài'ěr píjiǔ), 艾爾啤酒 / 艾尔啤酒 (ài'ěr píjiǔ)

• Danish: lyst øl c
• Dutch: donker bier n
• Esperanto: elo (eo)
• Estonian: õlu (et)
• Faroese: øl
• Finnish: pintahiivaolut (fi), ale (fi)
• French: bière anglaise f, ale (fr) f
• German: Ale (de) n
• Greek: αγγλική μπίρα f (anglikí bíra), αγγλικός ζύθος m (anglikós zýthos), ζύθος (el) (zýthos), αγγλική μπύρα (anglikí býra)
• Hungarian: ale (hu)
• Icelandic: öl (is) n
• Irish: leann m
• Italian: birra inglese f
• Japanese: エール (ja) (ēru)
• Korean: 에일 (eil)
• Limburgish: ale (li)
• Lithuanian: elis
• Manx: lhune m
• Norwegian: ale (no), ale
• Old English: ealu, bēor
• Polish: ale (pl) n
• Portuguese: cerveja inglesa f
• Russian: эль (ru) m (elʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: leann m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ел m

  Roman: el (sh) m

• Spanish: cerveza inglesa f, ale (es) f, cerveza ale f
• Swedish: ale (sv)
• Tamil: அளி (ta) (aḷi)
• Turkish: ale (tr), İngiliz birası
• Ukrainian: ель m (elʹ)
• Welsh: cwrw m
• Yiddish: ענגלישע ביר n (englishe bir)

Anagrams

• E-la, ael, Lae, LEA, Lea, LAE, lea, EAL, ELA, Ela

Afar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aˈle/ [ʔʌˈlɛ]
• Hyphenation: a‧le

Interjection

alé

1. signifies surprise; wow!

References

• Mohamed Hassan Kamil (2015), L’afar: description grammaticale d’une langue couchitique (Djibouti, Erythrée et Ethiopie)‎^[1], Paris: Université Sorbonne Paris Cité (doctoral thesis)

Ambonese Malay

Pronoun

ale

1. thou

Bambara

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [àle]

Pronoun

ale

1. him

Basque

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

ale

1. grain

Declension

Declension of ale (inan V-stem)

	indefinite	singular	plural	proximal plural
absolutive	ale	alea	aleak	aleok
ergative	alek	aleak	aleek	aleok
dative	aleri	aleari	aleei	aleoi
genitive	aleren	alearen	aleen	aleon
comitative	alerekin	alearekin	aleekin	aleokin
causative	alerengatik	alearengatik	aleengatik	aleongatik
benefactive	alerentzat	alearentzat	aleentzat	aleontzat
instrumental	alez	aleaz	aleez	aleotaz
innesive	aletan	alean	aleetan	aleotan
locative	aletako	aleko	aleetako	aleotako
allative	aletara	alera	aleetara	aleotara
terminative	aletaraino	aleraino	aleetaraino	aleotaraino
directive	aletarantz	alerantz	aleetarantz	aleotarantz
destinative	aletarako	alerako	aleetarako	aleotarako
ablative	aletatik	aletik	aleetatik	aleotatik
partitive	alerik	—	—	—
prolative	aletzat	—	—	—

Buol

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qazay.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [aɽe]

Noun

ale

1. chin

Czech

Etymology

Inherited from Old Czech ale, from Proto-Slavic *ale.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈalɛ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -alɛ

Conjunction

ale

1. but

   Synonym: avšak

See also

• jenže

Further reading

• “ale”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “ale”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “ale”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English ale.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /eːl/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ale
• Rhymes: -eːl

Noun

ale m or n (uncountable, no diminutive)

1. ale

Estonian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *halmëh. Cognate to Finnish halme and Livvi halmeh. From either Proto-Germanic *halmaz or a Baltic language, compare Latvian salms and Lithuanian želmuo.

Noun

ale (genitive ale, partitive alet)

1. slash-and-burn (the technique)
2. the forest cut down to create new land in slash-and-burn
3. the land created through slash-and-burn

Declension

Declension of ale (ÕS type 16/pere, no gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		ale	aled
accusative	nom.
	gen.	ale
genitive			alede
partitive		alet	alesid
illative		alle alesse	aledesse
inessive		ales	aledes
elative		alest	aledest
allative		alele	aledele
adessive		alel	aledel
ablative		alelt	aledelt
translative		aleks	aledeks
terminative		aleni	aledeni
essive		alena	aledena
abessive		aleta	aledeta
comitative		alega	aledega

Finnish

Etymology 1

Clipping of alennusmyynti (“sale”). Coined by Aarni Penttilä.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑle/, [ˈɑ̝le̞]
• Rhymes: -ɑle
• Syllabification^(key): a‧le
• Hyphenation^(key): ale

Noun

ale (informal)

1. sale (selling of goods at bargain prices)

Declension

Inflection of ale (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)
nominative		ale	alet
genitive		alen	alejen
partitive		alea	aleja
illative		aleen	aleihin
		singular	plural
nominative		ale	alet
accusative	nom.	ale	alet
	gen.	alen
genitive		alen	alejen alein rare
partitive		alea	aleja
inessive		alessa	aleissa
elative		alesta	aleista
illative		aleen	aleihin
adessive		alella	aleilla
ablative		alelta	aleilta
allative		alelle	aleille
essive		alena	aleina
translative		aleksi	aleiksi
abessive		aletta	aleitta
instructive		—	alein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of ale (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative aleni aleni accusative nom. aleni aleni gen. aleni genitive aleni alejeni aleini rare partitive aleani alejani inessive alessani aleissani elative alestani aleistani illative aleeni aleihini adessive alellani aleillani ablative aleltani aleiltani allative alelleni aleilleni essive alenani aleinani translative alekseni aleikseni abessive alettani aleittani instructive — — comitative — aleineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative alesi alesi accusative nom. alesi alesi gen. alesi genitive alesi alejesi aleisi rare partitive aleasi alejasi inessive alessasi aleissasi elative alestasi aleistasi illative aleesi aleihisi adessive alellasi aleillasi ablative aleltasi aleiltasi allative alellesi aleillesi essive alenasi aleinasi translative aleksesi aleiksesi abessive alettasi aleittasi instructive — — comitative — aleinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative alemme alemme accusative nom. alemme alemme gen. alemme genitive alemme alejemme aleimme rare partitive aleamme alejamme inessive alessamme aleissamme elative alestamme aleistamme illative aleemme aleihimme adessive alellamme aleillamme ablative aleltamme aleiltamme allative alellemme aleillemme essive alenamme aleinamme translative aleksemme aleiksemme abessive alettamme aleittamme instructive — — comitative — aleinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative alenne alenne accusative nom. alenne alenne gen. alenne genitive alenne alejenne aleinne rare partitive aleanne alejanne inessive alessanne aleissanne elative alestanne aleistanne illative aleenne aleihinne adessive alellanne aleillanne ablative aleltanne aleiltanne allative alellenne aleillenne essive alenanne aleinanne translative aleksenne aleiksenne abessive alettanne aleittanne instructive — — comitative — aleinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative alensa alensa accusative nom. alensa alensa gen. alensa genitive alensa alejensa aleinsa rare partitive aleaan aleansa alejaan alejansa inessive alessaan alessansa aleissaan aleissansa elative alestaan alestansa aleistaan aleistansa illative aleensa aleihinsa adessive alellaan alellansa aleillaan aleillansa ablative aleltaan aleltansa aleiltaan aleiltansa allative alelleen alellensa aleilleen aleillensa essive alenaan alenansa aleinaan aleinansa translative alekseen aleksensa aleikseen aleiksensa abessive alettaan alettansa aleittaan aleittansa instructive — — comitative — aleineen aleinensa

Derived terms

compounds

• alehalli
• alehinta
• alelaari
• veroale

Further reading

• “1. ale”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[2] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 1 July 2023

Etymology 2

From English ale.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈei̯l/, [ˈe̞i̯l]
• Rhymes: -eil
• Syllabification^(key): ale
• Hyphenation^(key): ale

Noun

ale

1. ale (type of beer)

Declension

Inflection of ale (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)
nominative		ale	alet
genitive		alen	alejen
partitive		alea	aleja
illative		aleen	aleihin
		singular	plural
nominative		ale	alet
accusative	nom.	ale	alet
	gen.	alen
genitive		alen	alejen alein rare
partitive		alea	aleja
inessive		alessa	aleissa
elative		alesta	aleista
illative		aleen	aleihin
adessive		alella	aleilla
ablative		alelta	aleilta
allative		alelle	aleille
essive		alena	aleina
translative		aleksi	aleiksi
abessive		aletta	aleitta
instructive		—	alein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of ale (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative aleni aleni accusative nom. aleni aleni gen. aleni genitive aleni alejeni aleini rare partitive aleani alejani inessive alessani aleissani elative alestani aleistani illative aleeni aleihini adessive alellani aleillani ablative aleltani aleiltani allative alelleni aleilleni essive alenani aleinani translative alekseni aleikseni abessive alettani aleittani instructive — — comitative — aleineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative alesi alesi accusative nom. alesi alesi gen. alesi genitive alesi alejesi aleisi rare partitive aleasi alejasi inessive alessasi aleissasi elative alestasi aleistasi illative aleesi aleihisi adessive alellasi aleillasi ablative aleltasi aleiltasi allative alellesi aleillesi essive alenasi aleinasi translative aleksesi aleiksesi abessive alettasi aleittasi instructive — — comitative — aleinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative alemme alemme accusative nom. alemme alemme gen. alemme genitive alemme alejemme aleimme rare partitive aleamme alejamme inessive alessamme aleissamme elative alestamme aleistamme illative aleemme aleihimme adessive alellamme aleillamme ablative aleltamme aleiltamme allative alellemme aleillemme essive alenamme aleinamme translative aleksemme aleiksemme abessive alettamme aleittamme instructive — — comitative — aleinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative alenne alenne accusative nom. alenne alenne gen. alenne genitive alenne alejenne aleinne rare partitive aleanne alejanne inessive alessanne aleissanne elative alestanne aleistanne illative aleenne aleihinne adessive alellanne aleillanne ablative aleltanne aleiltanne allative alellenne aleillenne essive alenanne aleinanne translative aleksenne aleiksenne abessive alettanne aleittanne instructive — — comitative — aleinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative alensa alensa accusative nom. alensa alensa gen. alensa genitive alensa alejensa aleinsa rare partitive aleaan aleansa alejaan alejansa inessive alessaan alessansa aleissaan aleissansa elative alestaan alestansa aleistaan aleistansa illative aleensa aleihinsa adessive alellaan alellansa aleillaan aleillansa ablative aleltaan aleltansa aleiltaan aleiltansa allative alelleen alellensa aleilleen aleillensa essive alenaan alenansa aleinaan aleinansa translative alekseen aleksensa aleikseen aleiksensa abessive alettaan alettansa aleittaan aleittansa instructive — — comitative — aleineen aleinensa

In speech, type 5 (risti) is normally used, giving for instance nominative singular eil, genitive eilin, partitive eiliä, nominative plural eilit and genitive plural eilien.

Further reading

• “2. ale”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[3] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 1 July 2023

Anagrams

• Lea

French

Etymology

From English ale.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛl/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

Noun

ale f (plural ales)

1. ale
   • 1884, Joris-Karl Huysmans, chapter XI, in À rebours [Against the Grain]:

     […] il mangea un rosbif aux pommes et s'enfourna deux pintes d’ale, excité par ce petit goût de vacherie musquée que dégage cette fine et pâle bière.

     He ate roast beef with apples and put away two pints of ale, excited by the little taste of musky trickery given off by this fine, pale beer.

Further reading

• “ale”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Friulian

Etymology

From Latin āla.

Noun

ale f (plural alis)

1. wing

Haitian Creole

Etymology

From French aller (“go”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.le/

Verb

ale

1. to go

   Synonym: al

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.le/
• Rhymes: -ale
• Hyphenation: à‧le

Noun

ale f

1. (poetic) plural of ala: wings

See also

• ali

Kashubian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *ale.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.lɛ/
• Rhymes: -alɛ
• Syllabification: a‧le

Conjunction

ale

1. but

Noun

ale n (indeclinable)

1. (colloquial) but

Particle

ale

1. used at the beginning of a sentence; similar in meaning to the English "hey, not so fast", especially when used multiple times

Further reading

• Stefan Ramułt (1893), “ale”, in Słownik języka pomorskiego czyli kaszubskiego (in Kashubian), page 2
• Eùgeniusz Gòłąbk (2011), “ale”, in Słownik Polsko-Kaszubski / Słowôrz Pòlskò-Kaszëbsczi‎^[4], volume 1, page 19
• “ale”, in Internetowi Słowôrz Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka [Internet Dictionary of the Kashubian Language], Fundacja Kaszuby, 2022

Latin

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈa.ɫɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈaː.le]

Verb

ale

1. second-person singular present active imperative of alō

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈaː.ɫɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈaː.le]

Noun

āle

1. vocative singular of ālus

Lower Sorbian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *ale.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈalɛ/, [ˈalə]

Conjunction

ale

1. but

Further reading

• Muka, Arnošt (1921, 1928), “ale”, in Słownik dolnoserbskeje rěcy a jeje narěcow (in German), St. Petersburg, Prague: ОРЯС РАН, ČAVU; Reprinted Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag, 2008
• Starosta, Manfred (1999), “ale”, in Dolnoserbsko-nimski słownik / Niedersorbisch-deutsches Wörterbuch (in German), Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag

Lule Sami

Verb

ale

1. second-person singular imperative of ij

Lutuv

Noun

ale

1. elephant (Elephas maximus)

Mauritian Creole

Etymology

From French aller.

Verb

ale (medial form al)

1. To go

Middle Dutch

Etymology

from Old Dutch *alo, from Proto-West Germanic *alu.

Noun

āle n

1. ale

Inflection

Strong neuter noun

	singular	plural
nominative	āle	āle
accusative	āle	āle
genitive	āels	āle
dative	āle	ālen

Descendants

• Dutch: aal
• Limburgish: aal

Further reading

• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “ale”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

Middle English

Alternative forms

• ail

Etymology

From Old English ealu, from Proto-West Germanic *alu, from Proto-Germanic *alu, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂elut-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaːl(ə)/

Noun

ale (plural ales)

1. ale (beverage)

Related terms

• bridale

Descendants

• English: ale
• Geordie: yel
• Scots: yill, ale, aill, ayll
• ⇒ Yola: aalhouse

References

• “āle, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Northern Sami

Pronunciation

• (Kautokeino) IPA^(key): /ˈale/

Verb

ale

1. second-person singular imperative of ii

Norwegian Nynorsk

Verb

ale (present tense el or aler, past tense ol or alte, supine ale or alt, past participle alen or alt, present participle alande, imperative al)

1. alternative form of ala

Anagrams

• ela, lea

Old Czech

Alternative forms

• aľe (alternative writing)

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *ale.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (13^th CE) /ˈalɛ/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /ˈalɛ/

Particle

ale

1. Used to express disapproval or wish to change the subject.
2. Used to introduce a follow-up.
3. Used to present contradictory content; but
4. Used when the speaker wishes the listener addresses the previous statement.
5. Expresses the speaker's disbelief.
6. of course
7. namely

Conjunction

ale

1. but
2. then, in that case
3. not until
4. unless
5. except
6. nevertheless
7. whereas

Interjection

ale

1. used at the beginning of a sentence; similar in meaning to the English "hey, not so fast", especially when used multiple times
2. The meaning of this term is uncertain. Possibilities include:
   1. expresses a warning.

Descendants

• Czech: ale

References

• Jan Gebauer (1903–1916), “ale”, in Slovník staročeský (in Czech), Prague: Česká grafická společnost "unie", Česká akademie císaře Františka Josefa pro vědy, slovesnost a umění

Old English

Verb

āle

1. first-person singular present indicative of alan

Old Polish

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *ale. By surface analysis, univerbation of a +‎ le. First attested in 1398.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /alʲɛ/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /alʲɛ/

Conjunction

ale

1. (attested in Lesser Poland, Greater Poland) Introduces a contrastive clause; but

   Synonym: lecz

   • 1874-1891 [XV p. post.], Rozprawy i Sprawozdania z Posiedzeń Wydziału Filologicznego Akademii Umiejętności‎^{[5], [6], [7]}, volume I, page XLV:

     Wyeza dokonana a myesszek wyproznyony czyny czleka acz nyerichlo ale barzo mąndrego (faciunt valde sed tarde hominem prudentem)

     [Wieża dokonana a mieszek wyproźniony czyni człeka acz nierychło ale barzo mądrego (faciunt valde sed tarde hominem prudentem)]

   • c. 1301-1350, Kazania świętokrzyskie‎^{scan transliteration, transcription}, Miechów, page cr 42:

     Ne *ne[śladujmy towarzy]stua luda y crola buynego, ale bøchmy s touaristua crola s[miernego]

     [Nie na[śladujmy towarzy]stwa luda i krola bujnego, ale bądźmy z towarzystwa krola ś[miernego]]

   • 1930 [c. 1455], “Gen”, in Ludwik Bernacki, editor, Biblia królowej Zofii (Biblia szaroszpatacka)‎^{transliteration, transcription}, 18, 15:

     Y przala Sara rzekøcz: Nye szmyalasm syø... Y rzekl gest pan bog: Nye tak, alesz syø smyala (non est, inquit, ita, sed risisti)

     [I przała Sara rzekąc: Nie śmiałaśm się... I rzekł jest Pan Bog: Nie tak, aleś się śmiała (non est, inquit, ita, sed risisti)]

   • 1939 [end of the 14th century], Ryszard Ganszyniec, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Kubica, Ludwik Bernacki, editors, Psałterz florjański łacińsko-polsko-niemiecki [Sankt Florian Psalter]‎^{scan transliteration, transcription}, Krakow: Zakład Narodowy imienia Ossolińskich, z zasiłkiem Sejmu Śląskiego [The Ossoliński National Institute: with the benefit of the Silesian Parliament], pages 1, 5:

     Ne taco nemilosciwi, ne taco, ale (sed) iaco proch

     [Nie tako niemiłościwi, nie tako, ale (sed) jako proch]

   • 1950 [1428], Władysław Kuraszkiewicz, Adam Wolff, editors, Zapiski i roty polskie XV-XVI wieku z ksiąg sądowych ziemi warszawskiej, number 289, Warsaw:

     Iste testis yusch szan bil viroczil, ale palczow nye poloszil, nisch gy on wsperl

     [Iste testis już się był wyrocił, ale palcow nie położył, niż ji on wsperł]

   • 1939 [end of the 14th century], Ryszard Ganszyniec, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Kubica, Ludwik Bernacki, editors, Psałterz florjański łacińsko-polsko-niemiecki [Sankt Florian Psalter]‎^{scan transliteration, transcription}, Krakow: Zakład Narodowy imienia Ossolińskich, z zasiłkiem Sejmu Śląskiego [The Ossoliński National Institute: with the benefit of the Silesian Parliament], pages 118, 85:

     Kosprawyli (narraverunt) my mne *zloscny bazny, ale ne yako zakon twogy (sed non ut lex tua)

     [Rozprawili (narraverunt) mi mnie złostni baśni, ale nie jako zakon twoj (sed non ut lex tua)]

   • 1915 [1427], Jan Łoś, editor, Przegląd językowych zabytków staropolskich do r. 1543‎^[8], Lublin, page 538:

     Micolay yest plischy po ssestrze oczcza swego, po *strzynye, ale ne *rodzonye, po *ssczithnye, ku trzecze czasczy wssy Yawydzu

     [Mikołaj jest bliszy po siestrze oćca swego, po str[z]ynie, ale nie rodzonej, po szczytnej, ku trzecie części wsi Jawidzu]

   • 1874-1891 [1438], Rozprawy i Sprawozdania z Posiedzeń Wydziału Filologicznego Akademii Umiejętności‎^{[9], [10], [11]}, volume XXII, page 353:

     Sit autem omnis homo velox ad audiendum, tardus autem ad loquendum nyerychly alye w *momyenyw (Jac 1, 19)

     [Sit autem omnis homo velox ad audiendum, tardus autem ad loquendum nierychły ale w mowieniu (Jac 1, 19)]

   • 1861 [1398], Pismo poświęcone naukom, sztukom i przemysłowi‎^[12], volume III, Biblioteka Warszawska, page 23:

     Jaco w Iedliczi bilo nemeczke prawo, ale sginaul przywiley

     [Jako w Jedlcy było niemieckie prawo, ale zginął przywilej]

   • 1939 [end of the 14th century], Ryszard Ganszyniec, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Kubica, Ludwik Bernacki, editors, Psałterz florjański łacińsko-polsko-niemiecki [Sankt Florian Psalter]‎^{scan transliteration, transcription}, Krakow: Zakład Narodowy imienia Ossolińskich, z zasiłkiem Sejmu Śląskiego [The Ossoliński National Institute: with the benefit of the Silesian Parliament], pages 5, 7:

     Møsza krwawego y zglobliwego szadacz se bødze gospodzin, ale ia (ego autem) w mnoszstwe miloserdza twego

     [Męża krwawego i zgłobliwego żadać sie będzie Gospodzin, ale ja (ego autem) w mnożstwie miłosierdzia twego]

   • Middle of the 15th century, Rozmyślanie o żywocie Pana Jezusa‎^[13], page 395:

     Było na wysszem piętrze piekła jedno miasto..., w ktoremże były dostojne dusze albo namienione ku krolestwu niebieskiemu, ale do stąpienia Jesucrista (in quo erant animae predestinatorum usque ad Christi descensum ad inferos)

     [Było na wyszem piętrze piekła jedno miasto..., w ktoremże były dostojne dusze albo namienione ku krolestwu niebieskiemu, ale do zstąpienia Jesukrysta [do piekła] (in quo erant animae predestinatorum usque ad Christi descensum ad inferos)]

   • 1930 [c. 1455], “Deut”, in Ludwik Bernacki, editor, Biblia królowej Zofii (Biblia szaroszpatacka)‎^{transliteration, transcription}, 1, 26:

     A nye chczelisce wnidz, ale nye wyerziliscze k rzeczi pana boga naszego. Szemraliscze w stanyech... y rzekliste (et noluistis ascendere, sed increduli... murmurastis)

     [A nie chcieliście wnić, ale nie wierzyliście k rzeczy Pana Boga naszego. Szemraliście w staniech... i rzekliste (et noluistis ascendere, sed increduli... murmurastis)]

   • 1424, Kanon mszy św., Canon missae., volume III, page 53:

     Pamyøcz czczącz... dzewicze Mariey... y... Ihu Crista, ale y blogoslawyonych apostolow

     [Pamięć czcząc... dziewice Maryjej... i... Jesu Krysta, ale i błogosławionych apostołow]

   • 1874-1891 [XV in.], Rozprawy i Sprawozdania z Posiedzeń Wydziału Filologicznego Akademii Umiejętności‎^{[14], [15], [16]}, volume XXIV, page 73:

     Ale gesce et adhuc

     [Ale jeszcze et adhuc]

   • Beginning of the 15th century, Łukasz z Wielkiego Koźmina, Kazania gnieźnieńskie‎^[17], Krakow, page 171b:

     Tenczy ma mecz varø kresczyganskø, a ne telko skutkem, alle tesze y szerczem

     [Tenci ma mieć wiarę krześcijańską, a nie telko skutkiem, ale teże i siercem]

   • c. 1478, Dekalog - Dziesięcioro przykazań bożych - Decem praecepta Dei, volume III, number 13:

     Nye masz myecz any chwalycz balwana zadnego, alye thylko tego boga w throyczy gyedynego

     [Nie masz mieć ani chwalić bałwana żadnego, ale tylko tego Boga w Trojcy Jedynego]

   • 1916 [second half of the 15th century], Stanisław Słoński, editor, Psałterz puławski‎^[18], Greater Poland, pages 48, 16:

     Pomocz gych zwyotszeye w pyeklye od slawy gich. Ale wezda (verumtamen) bog odkupy *dusze moyę od ręky pyekla

     [Pomoc jich zwiotszeje w piekle od sławy jich. Ale weżda (verumtamen) Bog odkupi duszę moję od ręki piekła]

   • 1930 [c. 1455], “IV Reg”, in Ludwik Bernacki, editor, Biblia królowej Zofii (Biblia szaroszpatacka)‎^{transliteration, transcription}, 17, 41:

     Przeto baly syø cy iscy lyvdze boga, ale wszakosz (sed nihilominus) takesz y swim modlam syø klanyaly

     [Przeto bali się ci iści ludzie Boga, ale wszakoż (sed nihilominus) takież i swym modłam się kłaniali]

   • 1930 [c. 1455], “Ex”, in Ludwik Bernacki, editor, Biblia królowej Zofii (Biblia szaroszpatacka)‎^{transliteration, transcription}, 21, 19:

     Nye bødze wynyen gensze bi gi uraszyl, alye wszdy abi (ita tamen ut) gego roboti a gego nakladi na lekarze ma gemu wroczycz

     [Nie będzie winien jenże by ji uraził, ale wżdy [aby] (ita tamen ut) jego roboty a jego nakłady na lekarze ma jemu wrocić]

   • 1939 [end of the 14th century], Ryszard Ganszyniec, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Kubica, Ludwik Bernacki, editors, Psałterz florjański łacińsko-polsko-niemiecki [Sankt Florian Psalter]‎^{scan transliteration, transcription}, Krakow: Zakład Narodowy imienia Ossolińskich, z zasiłkiem Sejmu Śląskiego [The Ossoliński National Institute: with the benefit of the Silesian Parliament], pages 38, 8–9:

     Owa merne poloszil ies dni moie; ... Ale zaprawdø (verumtamen) wszelika prosznoscz prokni (omnis) czlowek sziwøczi. Ale zaprawdø (verumtamen) w obraze przeszedl czlowek

     [Owa mierne położył jeś dni moje; ... Ale zaprawdę (verumtamen) wszelika prozność prokni (omnis) człowiek żywący. Ale zaprawdę (verumtamen) w obrazie przeszedł człowiek]

2. (attested in Lesser Poland) Adds to the previous context; but, however
   • Beginning of the 15th century, Łukasz z Wielkiego Koźmina, Kazania gnieźnieńskie‎^[19], Krakow, page 3a:

     A tesze sziin boszy gestcy on nam byl dzan. Alle kakecz tho dzeczøthko gest bilo?

     [A teże Syn Boży jestci on nam był dzian. Ale kakieć to dzieciątko jest było?]

   • 1930 [c. 1455], “I Par”, in Ludwik Bernacki, editor, Biblia królowej Zofii (Biblia szaroszpatacka)‎^{transliteration, transcription}, 7, 39:

     Potem sinowye Helen...: Supha a Iemma... a Hamai... Sinowye Ether: Iephone a Phaspha a Ara. Ale (autem) sinowye Ola: Aree a Anihel

     [Potem synowie Helem...: Supha a Jemma... a Hamai... Synowie Ether: Jephone a Phaspha a Ara. Ale (autem) synowie Ola: Aree a Anihel]

3. (attested in Lesser Poland) Connects non-equivalent sentences; but
   • 1939 [end of the 14th century], Ryszard Ganszyniec, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Kubica, Ludwik Bernacki, editors, Psałterz florjański łacińsko-polsko-niemiecki [Sankt Florian Psalter]‎^{scan transliteration, transcription}, Krakow: Zakład Narodowy imienia Ossolińskich, z zasiłkiem Sejmu Śląskiego [The Ossoliński National Institute: with the benefit of the Silesian Parliament], pages 130, 3:

     Acz nesmerne gesm rozumal, ale pow[y]szal gesm (sed exaltavi) dusza moyø

     [Acz nieśmernie jeśm rozumiał, ale pow[y]szał jeśm (sed exaltavi) duszę moję]

4. because at least
   • 1874-1891 [XV med.], Rozprawy i Sprawozdania z Posiedzeń Wydziału Filologicznego Akademii Umiejętności‎^{[20], [21], [22]}, volume XXII, page 245:

     Zadni pocorni nye gest przes nądze, acz niczs ale smyech ss nyego walayą any go... dbayą

     [Żadny pokorny nie jest przez nędze, acz niczs ale śmiech s niego walają ani go... dbają]

Derived terms

conjunction

• aleć
• alećby
• ależby

conjunction/particle

• ależ

Related terms

conjunctions

• a
• le

Particle

ale

1. at least
   • 1930 [c. 1455], “Tob”, in Ludwik Bernacki, editor, Biblia królowej Zofii (Biblia szaroszpatacka)‎^{transliteration, transcription}, 10, 7:

     Po wszech drogach byegala..., abi ale z daleka gy gydøcz, moglolybi to bicz, op[r]atrzila (ut procul videret eum, si fieri posset, venientem)

     [Po wszech drogach biegała..., aby ale z daleka ji jidąc, mogłoliby to być, op[r]atrzyła (ut procul videret eum, si fieri posset, venientem)]

2. The meaning of this term is uncertain. Possibilities include:
   • 1915 [1474], Jan Łoś, editor, Przegląd językowych zabytków staropolskich do r. 1543‎^[23], Sieradz, page 540:

     Novo ale (nusper tamen) pod latym Boszego Narodzena MCCCCXXII osmego dyna ckxaszycza lutego... w mescze ploczskem rzeczony Jan chodzyl

     [Nowo ale (nusper tamen) pod latym Bożego Narodzenia MCCCCXXII osmego dnia księżyca lutego... w mieście płoczskiem rzeczony Jan chodził]

Descendants

• Polish: ale
• Silesian: ale

References

• Boryś, Wiesław (2005), “ale”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, →ISBN
• Sławski, Franciszek (1958-1965), “ale”, in Jan Safarewicz, Andrzej Siudut, editors, Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego [Etymological dictionary of the Polish language] (in Polish), Kraków: Towarzystwo Miłośników Języka Polskiego
• Mańczak, Witold (2017), “ale”, in Polski słownik etymologiczny (in Polish), Kraków: Polska Akademia Umiejętności, →ISBN
• Brückner, Aleksander (1927), “ale”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego [Etymological Dictionary of the Polish Language] (in Polish), Warsaw: Wiedza Powszechna
• Bańkowski, Andrzej (2000), “ale”, in Etymologiczny słownik języka polskiego [Etymological Dictionary of the Polish Language] (in Polish)
• B. Sieradzka-Baziur, Ewa Deptuchowa, Joanna Duska, Mariusz Frodyma, Beata Hejmo, Dorota Janeczko, Katarzyna Jasińska, Krystyna Kajtoch, Joanna Kozioł, Marian Kucała, Dorota Mika, Gabriela Niemiec, Urszula Poprawska, Elżbieta Supranowicz, Ludwika Szelachowska-Winiarzowa, Zofia Wanicowa, Piotr Szpor, Bartłomiej Borek, editors (2011–2015), “ale”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN

Polish

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Polish ale. By surface analysis, univerbation of a +‎ le. For the particle use, compare Hungarian de.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.lɛ/

• (Middle Polish) IPA^(key): /ˈa.lɛ/
• (Masovia):
  • (Ostróda) IPA^(key): [ˈa.lɛ]
  • (Warmia) IPA^(key): [ˈa.lɛ]
  • (Masuria) IPA^(key): [ˈa.lɛ]

• Audio 1:

  (file)

• Audio 2:

  (file)

• Audio 3:

  (file)

• Audio 4:

  (file)

• Audio 5:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -alɛ
• Syllabification: a‧le
• Homophones: Ale, alę, Alę

Conjunction

ale

1. but (contrastive conjunction)

   Synonyms: chociaż, jednak, lecz, niemniej, tylko, mimo że

   Grałem dobrze, ale przegrałem. ― I played well, but I lost.

2. (with nie tylko) not only … but also

   Synonym: nie tylko … lecz …

   Jesteś nie tylko głupi, ale też naiwny! ― You're not only stupid, but also naive!

Particle

ale

1. (colloquial) used at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis

   Synonyms: ależ, ale to

   Ale masz piękną sukienkę! ― You have such a beautiful dress!

   Ale ta zupa jest dobra! ― This soup is so good!

2. used at the beginning of a sentence; similar in meaning to the English "hey, not so fast", especially when used multiple times

   Ale, ale! Jeszcze z tobą nie skończyłem! ― Hey, not so fast! I'm not quite done with you yet!

3. (with bo) may very well, but, even though, despite

   Stary, bo stary, ale mocny. ― He very well may be old, but he's still strong.

   Trudno bo trudno, ale robi się łatwiej. ― It may very well be hard, but it's getting easier.

Derived terms

particles

• ale to
• ależ

Noun

ale n (indeclinable)

1. (colloquial) but

   Żadnych ale! ― No buts!

Etymology 2

Unadapted borrowing from English ale. First attested in the 19th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛjl/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛjl
• Syllabification: ale

Noun

ale n or m inan (indeclinable)

1. ale (beer produced by warm fermentation)

   Hypernym: piwo

   angielskie ale ― English ale

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

ale f

1. dative/locative singular of ała

Trivia

According to Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej (1990), ale is one of the most used words in Polish, appearing 187 times in scientific texts, 66 times in news, 330 times in essays, 552 times in fiction, and 828 times in plays, each out of a corpus of 100,000 words, totaling 1963 times, making it the 20th most common word in a corpus of 500,000 words.

Further reading

• ale I in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• ale II in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• ale III in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• ale in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Maria Renata Mayenowa; Stanisław Rospond; Witold Taszycki; Stefan Hrabec; Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023), “ale”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]
• “ALE”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century], 8 June 2022
• Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814), “ale”, in Słownik języka polskiego
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1900), “ale”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 1, Warsaw, page 22
• Zofia Stamirowska (1987-2024), “ale”, in Anna Basara, editor, Słownik gwar Ostródzkiego, Warmii i Mazur, volume 1, Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich Wydawnictwo Polskiej Akademii Nauk, →ISBN, pages 119-120

Portuguese

Verb

ale

1. inflection of alar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.le/

Article

ale

1. of (feminine/neuter plural possessive article)

   sunt ale mele aici? ― are mine here?

See also

• al (masculine/neuter singular)
• a (feminine singular)
• ai (masculine plural)

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *ali, *ale.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /âle/
• Hyphenation: a‧le

Conjunction

ȁle (Cyrillic spelling а̏ле)

1. (Kajkavian) but

   Alternative form: ȁli

2. (Kajkavian) however

   Alternative form: ȁli

Silesian

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish ale.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.lɛ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -alɛ
• Syllabification: a‧le

Conjunction

ale

1. but

   Synonyms: atoli, jednak, lecz, za to

Alternative forms

• nale (Cieszyn)

Particle

ale

1. used at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis

Interjection

ale

1. expresses contradiction

Further reading

• ale in silling.org

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English ale.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈeil/ [ˈei̯l]
• Rhymes: -eil

Noun

ale f (plural ales)

1. ale (intoxicating liquor)

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Further reading

• “ale”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024

Swedish

Etymology 1

Related to al (“alder”).

Noun

ale n

1. alderwood, alder (wood from an alder tree)

   Synonyms: alträ, alvirke

Declension

Declension of ale

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	ale	ales
	definite	alet	alets
plural	indefinite	—	—
	definite	—	—

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English ale.

Noun

ale c

1. ale (type of beer)

Declension

Declension of ale

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	ale	ales
	definite	alen	alens
plural	indefinite	—	—
	definite	—	—

References

• ale in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• ale in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• ale in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• ali

Etymology

Unknown. Possibly from Sanskrit आली (ālī, “female friend”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈʔale/ [ˈʔaː.lɛ]
• Rhymes: -ale
• Syllabification: a‧le

Noun

ale (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜎᜒ)

1. (colloquial) term of address for a woman
2. aunt

   Synonyms: tita, tiya, tiyang, tiyahin, inain, (slang) tsang

3. stepmother

   Synonyms: inang-panguman, inain, madrastra, tiya, tiyang, tiyahin

Derived terms

• aling

See also

• mama

References

• “ale”, in Pinoy Dictionary, 2010–2025.

Tarantino

Noun

ale

1. wing (of a bird etc)

Ternate

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈa.le]

Verb

ale

1. (transitive) to coil

Conjugation

Conjugation of ale

		singular	plural
			inclusive	exclusive
1st person		toale	foale	miale
2nd person		noale	niale
3rd person	masculine	oale	iale yoale (archaic)
	feminine	moale
	neuter	iale

References

• Rika Hayami-Allen (2001), A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh

Upper Sorbian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *ale.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈalɛ/
• Rhymes: -alɛ
• Hyphenation: ale
• Syllabification: a‧le

Conjunction

ale

1. but

   Synonym: tola

2. (coordinating, with a negative in the preceding clause) rather, but (instead)

Further reading

• “ale” in Soblex

West Makian

Etymology

Compare Sawai wole, ole (“bait”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.l̪e/

Noun

ale

1. bait

References

• James Collins (1982), Further Notes Towards a West Makian Vocabulary‎^[24], Pacific linguistics

Yoruba

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /à.lè/

Noun

àlè

1. concubine, side chick

   Synonym: wáhàrì

Derived terms

• ọmọ àlè (“bastard, illegitimate child”)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /à.lè/

Noun

àlè

1. (Ondo) in-law

   Synonym: àna