Where does “ale” come from?
ale (Middle Dutch) comes from Old Dutch alo, from Proto-Germanic alu, from Proto-Indo-European h₂elut- — beer.
Ancestry of “ale”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Dutch | alo | — |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | alu | beer, ale |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂elut- | beer |