aleconner

See also: ale-conner

English

Alternative forms

• ale-conner, ale-connor

Etymology

From ale +‎ con +‎ -er, from Old English cunnen (“to test”), from cunnian (“to test”).

Noun

aleconner (plural aleconners)

1. (historical, UK) An officer, appointed yearly, who tasted ale (as well as bread), to ensure its quality.

   Synonym: aletaster

2. (historical, UK) One of the officers chosen by the liverymen of London, England for inspecting the measures used in public houses.

Usage notes

• Of the first sense, the role remains in the 21st century, albeit mostly ceremonial.

References

• 1949, John Dover Wilson (compiler), Life in Shakespeare's England. A Book of Elizabethan Prose, Cambridge at the University Press. 1st ed. 1911, 2nd ed. 1913, 8th reprint. In Glossary and Notes
• “aleconner”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• noncereal