ala

1 of 4

noun

plural alae ˈā-ˌlē How to pronounce ala (audio)
: a wing or a winglike anatomic part or process (see process entry 1 sense 4)
alar adjective
alary adjective

Ala

2 of 4

abbreviation (1)

Alabama

ALA

3 of 4

abbreviation (2)

American Library Association

à la

4 of 4

preposition

ˌä-(ˌ)lä How to pronounce à la (audio)
ˌä-lə,
ˌa-lə
variants or less commonly a la
: in the manner of
walking with a swagger à la John Wayne

Examples of ala in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Preposition
Yes, guests get a dedicated staffer available at all times via text message to personally drive them to dinner a la golf cart Ferraris, make reservations or bookings and plan excursions. Christopher Cameron, Robb Report, 12 Mar. 2024 Imagine being able to do the same thing with an a la carte menu that crosses the boundaries of broadcast, cable and streaming? Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 4 Mar. 2024 Recognized for her 30-year career and her ongoing contributions to the música mexicana genre, singer-songwriter Ana Barbara will be honored with the Premio Lo Nuestro a la Trayectoria award. Griselda Flores, Billboard, 21 Feb. 2024 The setting is a fetching backdrop to a surprisingly long a la carte menu whose small-plate highlights include juicy pork belly and kabocha squash gyoza and tuna tartare — red with gochujang and fruity with apple — scooped up with nubby tempura seaweed chips. Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2024 There will also be a Valentine’s Day a la carte menu. Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2024 After flashing to Carti — wearing two Band-Aids on his cheeks a la rapper Nelly — spilling his red Solo cup drink near a luxury SUV, the scene cuts back to Madonna in a penthouse apartment, lolling on a couch and pointing the camera with a cane. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 22 Feb. 2024 After being assured that his takeaway is definitely incorrect, Kimmel gets a visit from Ken (Gosling), who pops up from the backseat with a bag of In-N-Out a la Paul Giamatti. Shania Russell, EW.com, 13 Feb. 2024 Easter means eggs, bunnies & big big brunches… Angelique Euro Café gets festive with European flair with a special a la carte Easter menu. Miami Staff, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ala.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Latin āla "armpit, upper arm, wing, axil" going back to *akslā, going back to Indo-European *h2eḱs-(i)l-eh2- (whence also Germanic *ahslō-, whence Old English eaxl "shoulder," Old Frisian axle, axele "shoulder, armpit," Old Saxon ahsla, Old High German ahsla, ahsala, Old Icelandic ǫxl "shoulder"), derivative with an -l- suffix from *h2eḱs- "pivot around which something rotates, axle" — more at axis

Preposition

French à la

First Known Use

Noun

1634, in the meaning defined above

Preposition

circa 1642, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ala was in 1634

Dictionary Entries Near ala

Cite this Entry

“Ala.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ala. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

ala

1 of 3 noun
plural alae -ˌlē How to pronounce ala (audio)
: a wing or a winglike anatomic process or part
especially : ala nasi

Ala

2 of 3 abbreviation
alanine; alanyl

ALA

3 of 3 abbreviation

More from Merriam-Webster on ala

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!