ala

1 of 4

noun

ˈā-lə 

plural alae ˈā-ˌlē 

: a wing or a winglike anatomic part or process (see process entry 1 sense 4)

alar

ˈā-lər 

adjective

alary

ˈā-lə-rē 

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 

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

Now, Dolby is launching an additional plan through which theater owners can have access to the Dolby Vision projectors a la carte for premium auditoriums that already offer Atmos. Dolby Cinema was introduced as a premium brand in 2014, and today there are 275 Dolby Cinemas worldwide. —Carolyn Giardina, Variety, 2 Apr. 2024

Services should be unbundled and offered as a la carte options to maximize revenue. —Roger Dooley, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

Buyers either pay a $10,000 fee or select services a la carte. —Ethan Varian, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024

During a recent cruise on the line’s newest ship, Jubilee, cocktails at new venues Dr.Inks, Ph.D., and The Golden Mermaid were priced at $14 a la carte, plus an 18% gratuity charge. —Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024

Is owner Arte Moreno trying to kill off the fan base and move the team a la Georgia Frontiere with the Rams? —Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2024

Several a la carte menu items at an additional cost including baked mac and cheese, crab cakes, and Parmesan truffle fries. —Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 20 Mar. 2024

Dishes include popcorn hamachi with popcorn cream, toro carpaccio with truffle sauce, and an a la carte selection of different cuts of fish served as nigiri, sashimi, aburi, or temaki. —Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 19 Mar. 2024

Chef Moira Hill’s a la carte menu will include crab Benedict with truffle Béarnaise sauce, coconut pancakes and brioche French toast , as well as salads, appetizers, desserts and brunch cocktails. —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024

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

Medical Definition

ala

1 of 3 noun

ˈā-lə 

plural alae -ˌlē 

: a wing or a winglike anatomic process or part

especially : ala nasi

Ala

2 of 3 abbreviation

alanine; alanyl

ALA

3 of 3 abbreviation

1

alpha-linolenic acid

2

aminolevulinic acid