Where does “ale” come from?

Ale comes from Old English ealu, from Proto-West Germanic alu, from Proto-Germanic alu, from Proto-Indo-European h₂elut-, of unknown meaning.

ale (English): A beer made without hops; A beer produced by...

Definitions

  1. A beer made without hops; A beer produced by...

Ancestry of “ale”, step by step

ale traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Italian alé

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianalélet's go!, come on!
2Frenchallezsecond-person plural present indicative of aller;...
3Frenchallerto go
4Latinīre—
5Proto-ItaliceōI go
6Proto-Italicejō—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁éytito go, to be going
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁ey-to go

via Dutch aal

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchaaleel; elver; padre
2Middle Dutchadel—
3Old Dutchathal—
4Proto-West Germanicaþalnobility; race
5Proto-Germanicaþaląnature, disposition; nobility, race
6Proto-Indo-Europeanat-alfamily, race
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂el-to grow, nourish; beyond, other; to wander, roam

via Middle English ale

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishaleale unhopped alcoholic beverage made from malted grain
2Old Englishealubeer, ale
3Proto-West Germanicāluawl
4Proto-Germanicēlōawl
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁ólosawl
6Proto-Indo-Europeanēl-awl, prong

Words derived from “ale”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁ey- →