Link Centre Dictionary

ala

US/ˈeɪ.lə/ uncommon

noun

1.

a flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism

  • “the alae of the nose”
  • “the alae of a maple seed”
  • “the flat petals of a pea blossom are alae”
2.

a wing of an insect

Origin

Originated 1730-40, borrowed from Latin āla (“wing”). Doublet of aisle.

Related words

Broader terms

Parts

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.