ail

CEFRC2

/ˈeɪ̯l/

verb · adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To cause pain or trouble, especially as an illness.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    An ailment; trouble; illness.

Examples

  • O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms, alone and palely loitering?

  • Have some chicken soup. It's good for what ails you.

At a glance

Sits at C2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
3

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To be ill; to suffer; to be troubled.

  2. To cause to suffer; to trouble, afflict. (Now chiefly in interrogative or indefinite constructions.)

adjective

Extra meaning

  1. Painful; troublesome.

More examples

In context

  • Not content with having in 1996 put a Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA) on the statue book, Congress has now begun to hold hearings on a Respect for Marriage Act. Defended, respected: what could possibly ail marriage in America?

  • What aileth thee, Hagar?

  • When he ails ever so little […] he is so peevish.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

High cholesterol can blank the heart if left untreated for many years.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

Inherited from Middle English eilen, from Old English eġlan, eġlian (“to trouble, afflict”), from Proto-West Germanic *aglijan, from Proto-Germanic *aglijaną (“to trouble, vex”), cognate with Gothic 𐌰𐌲𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (agljan, “to distress”).