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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Preposition
The Blue Origin space cadet assembled her bride tribe for a getaway to Paris, a la Miss Emily, to celebrate her soon-to-be husband, Jeff Bezos, and the squad is nothing short of girl bosses. Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 17 May 2025 There was the initial a la carte menu that included the table-side duck presentation. Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025 David Letterman was lifted in the air, a la Jennifer Grey, by Michael Strahan in an effort to promote IndyCar racing. Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2025 From on-trend butter nails to XXL lengths a la the Coachella crowd. Maria Goldbach, Vogue, 9 May 2025 Deep within Cheyenne Mountain, a la Stargate, a much more old fashioned version of science fiction, construction has been secretly going on. Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025 If that pizza was Open Kitchen’s pizza a la Greque, then the Queen City was all the better for it. Timothy Depeugh, Charlotte Observer, 1 May 2025 The two films shown at the Chinese Saturday were shown using actual VistaVision projectors, of which only a few exist in the world, which are equipped to run large-format prints that run through the projection system horizontally, a la modern-day Imax. Chris Willman, Variety, 30 Apr. 2025 One four course menu is featured at dinner each night; breakfast and lunch are a la carte. Laurie Werner, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ala.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ala. Accessed 21 May. 2025.

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

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