Ail
/eɪl/noun
To cause physical or emotional suffering, illness, or distress.
Did you know?Ail is related through an ancient Indo-European pain-root to Greek álgos, the source of medical terms ending in “-algia,” meaning pain.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂elg-
“To feel or cause pain; a reconstructed root associated with suffering.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*aglijaną
“To trouble, distress, or afflict.”
Old English
Old English
eglan
“To trouble, plague, or afflict.”
Middle English
Middle English
ailen
“To cause pain, illness, or distress.”
Modern English
English
ail
“To be unwell or to cause suffering.”