ale

Modern English ale comes from Old English ealu "ale, beer," from Proto-Germanic *aluþ, from PIE *h₂elw- meaning "bitter" or possibly related to a root for "intoxication" or "sorcery." The word is found across Germanic and Celtic but not in other Indo-European branches, suggesting it may have been a northern European cultural term. Old Norse ǫl "ale," Finnish olut (an early Germanic borrowing), and Lithuanian alùs "beer" are cognates. In medieval England, ale was the everyday drink before hops were introduced — beer specifically referred to hopped ale, a distinction now largely lost. Within English, the word bridal preserves ale: it comes from Old English brȳd-ealu, literally "bride-ale," a wedding feast where ale was drunk. Alehouse was the standard term for a drinking establishment before pub (public house) replaced it.