Avail
/əˈveɪl/noun
To help, benefit, or be of use; as a noun, benefit or advantage.
Did you know?*Avail* comes from Old French *availer*, ultimately from Latin *valēre* meaning “to be strong, be worth, be effective,” the same root behind *value*, *valiant*, and *prevail*.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wal-
“to be strong, be healthy, be worth”
Latin
Latin
valēre
“to be strong, be well, be effective”
Late Latin
Latin
*avālēre
“to be of use, to help”
Old French
Old French
avaler / availer
“to help, benefit; to make valid or of value”
Middle English
English
availen
“to profit, be of use, help”
Modern English
English
avail
“to help, benefit, or be of use”
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