verb
ail
AYL/eɪl/
To suffer from or cause illness or distress.
The woman's hunched posture and grimace suggest that something ails her.
Etymology
Eglan meant to trouble or afflict, so ail describes illness as something that troubles a person. Its historical range also included distress affecting moods and mental states.
In context
what could possibly ail him and the only remedy they found was to set him hard to work
More examples
- The business has been ailing for months.
- He asked what was ailing her.
- The doctor examined the ailing child.
Forms
ail · ails · ailed · ailing
ailment noun — an illness or health complaint
Similar words
- afflict
- Afflict causes suffering; ail can describe either causing distress or suffering from it.
- sicken
- Sicken means become or make ill; ail often suggests an ongoing troubled condition.