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ail

American  
[eyl] / eɪl /

verb (used with object)

  1. to cause pain, uneasiness, or trouble to.

    Inside our own bodies lies the most powerful cure for what ails us—our immune systems.

    He thinks lowering taxes is the answer to all that ails our economy.
    Synonyms:
    distress, annoy, bother

verb (used without object)

  1. to be unwell; feel pain; be ill.

    He's been ailing for some time.
ail British  
/ eɪl /

verb

  1. (tr) to trouble; afflict

  2. (intr) to feel unwell

"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

Etymology

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.