ail

[ eyl ]
/ eɪl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR ail ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to cause pain, uneasiness, or trouble to.

verb (used without object)

to be unwell; feel pain; be ill: He's been ailing for some time.

QUIZZES

DIVE INTO THIS BALMY SUMMERTIME SPELLING QUIZ

Do you often fall under the spell of the summer season? See if you can really spell your way through it with this quiz of popular summertime words.
Question 1 of 12
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of ail

before 950; Middle English ail, eilen, Old English eglan to afflict (cognate with Middle Low German egelen annoy, Gothic -agljan), derivative of egle painful; akin to Gothic agls shameful, Sanskrit aghám evil, pain

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ail

ale ail awl

Words nearby ail

aiguillette, aih, aiken, aikido, aikona, ail, ailanthus, ailanthus silkworm, aileen, aileron, aileron roll
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to ail

bother, afflict, annoy, pain, distress, upset, sicken, trouble

Example sentences from the Web for ail

British Dictionary definitions for ail

ail
/ (eɪl) /

verb

(tr) to trouble; afflict
(intr) to feel unwell

Word Origin for ail

Old English eglan to trouble, from egle troublesome, painful, related to Gothic agls shameful
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012