(a) Beer (brewed without hops), ale; bred and ~, wine and ~. [Ale was the usual drink taken at meals and served at social gatherings, harvests, etc., and to workmen. Until the introd. of hops from the Low Countries (a1440), ale and ber are synonymous in ME.] (b) god (noble, strong) ~, strong ale; smal ~, weak or light ale; neue (olde) ~, unaged (aged) ale; peni (hal-peni) ~, light ale selling at a penny (halfpenny) a gallon; spicede ~, ale flavored with spices; (c) a keg or barrel of ale.

(a) (sitten) at þen ale, atten ale, att(e nale (a set phrase), at the ale, (sit) at one's ale, drink in company, frequent alehouses; gon to ~, go to a tavern; kepen at ~, serve (sb.) with drinks at a party; (b) as a surname; (c) ben in ale, be in one's cups, be drunk.

A festivity or social gathering at which ale is served;--usu. as second element in compounds; chirche ~, a church festivity or fair held at or in connection with a church, esp. to raise money for various causes, during which ale is drunk; taverne ~, ?a church ale held in a tavern; ?the ale used at such a festival; see also brid-ale, scot-ale.

In cpds. and combs.: (a) ~ barel, an ale cask; ~ bed-ripe (bene), a manorial labor exacted from tenants at harvest time at which ale was served; ~ benche [OE ealu-benc], alehouse bench; ~ berere (berester), a male (female) porter who carries ale about to sell it, an ale peddler; ~ bolle, ale bowl; ~ both, a stall at a market or fair where ale is sold, an ale booth; ~ bre, a drink made from ale boiled with spices and sugar, aleberry; ~ breuere, a craftsman or craftswoman who brews or sells ale; (b) ~ connere (fondere), one who tests the quality of ale, an ale inspector; ~ corn, grain intended for the production of ale; ~ cost, q.v.; ~ fat [OE ealu-fæt], a vat in which ale is brewed, an ale vat; ~ giste (stol), a stand for ale casks; ~ goer (sittere), a frequenter of taverns; aleð gesteninge, an ale feast, a drinking party; (c) ~ hous [OE ealu-hūs], an alehouse, a tavern; (d) ~ hove, q.v.; ~ lies, the sediment of ale, ale lees; ~ mash, mash used in the brewing of ale; ~ makinge, the brewing of ale, prob. for a church-ale; ~ mol, a tax for brewing ale; ~ mongere an ale merchant; ~ nimere, ?one who partakes of ale; ?one who procures ale for a royal household; ~ peni, a fee paid for the right of selling ale within the manor; ~ pote, a vessel for ale; (e) ~ soppe, a morsel of bread dipped or soaked in ale; ~ spore, a thirst stimulant; ~ stake, a tavern sign consisting of a pole hung with a garland; ~ stande (standard), a vessel for ale; (f) ~ takere, a domestic officer responsible for procuring or requisitioning ale in the royal household; ~ tastour, an official who tastes ale to assess its quality; ~ tunne, a tun or cask for ale; ~ wif, a woman who brews or sells ale; ~ wite, ?a customary rent paid in lieu of payments of ale to a lord; ~ yest, the yeasty froth or barm from the top of fermenting ale used in cooking.