ail
ail Lexical Profile
ail Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To trouble, afflict, or cause physical or emotional distress to someone (used chiefly in interrogative or indefinite constructions).
"The physician asked the patient carefully to determine what ailed him."
To suffer from ill health, physical weakness, or ongoing decline.
"Her grandmother had been ailing for several months before moving closer to the family."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'ail' (to trouble or suffer from illness) with its homophone 'ale' (a type of brewed alcoholic beverage). As a transitive verb, 'ail' is used almost exclusively in interrogative or indefinite clauses (such as 'What ails you?'), whereas the participial adjective 'ailing' is widely used to describe someone in poor health.
• Rhymes for ail
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'eglan' ('to trouble, plague, or afflict'), derived from Proto-Germanic '*aglijaną' and related to Gothic 'agls' ('shameful, disgraceful').