What is the Latin word for ale?

The usual Latin words for “ale” are cervēsa, zȳthum, pandectēs. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“ale” in Latin

cervēsaCeltic wheat-beer zȳthuma type of alcoholic drink associated with Egypt pandectēsA book that contains everything, encyclopedia.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

ale

cerevisia (a drink of the ancients brewed from corn. To describe the German beer, Tac. uses circumlocution: humor ex hordeo aut frumento in quandam similitudinem vini corruptus, Germ., 23, 1): zythum (ζῦθος, Plin., Pandectae). To brewale, *cerevisiam coquere. A bottle of ale, *lagena cerevisiae. Abarrel of ale, *dolium cerevisiae. A glass of ale, *vitrum cerevisiae. A jug of ale, *canthara cerevisiae.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for ale?: The usual Latin words for “ale” are cervēsa, zȳthum, pandectēs. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.