A cup or drinking vessel, possibly related to herring trade jargon or an archaic term for a mug used in taverns.
Possibly from 'ale' (beer) plus 'cup,' or derived from dialectal or occupational terminology in brewing or fishing communities.
Some old words disappear because the object does—nobody uses a specific 'alecup' anymore, so the word vanished too, reminding us that language is constantly losing terms for forgotten tools.
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