Etymology

ail

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Today it means: To cause to suffer; to trouble, afflict. (Now chiefly in interrogative or indefinite constructions.) Full definition →

Middle English eilen ← Old English eġlan ← Proto-West Germanic *aglijan
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ail · verb, noun1

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*aglijaną“to trouble, vex”
  2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*aglijan
  3. Old English · inherited fromeġlan
  4. Middle English · inherited fromeilen
  5. English todayail

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”).

ail · adjective2

  1. Old English · inherited fromeġle“hideous, loathsome, hateful, horrid, troublesome, grievous, painful”
  2. Middle English · inherited fromeyle
  3. English todayail

Inherited from Middle English eyle, eile, from Old English eġle (“hideous, loathsome, hateful, horrid, troublesome, grievous, painful”). Cognate with Gothic 𐌰𐌲𐌻𐌿𐍃 (aglus, “hard, difficult”).

ail · noun3

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*agilō“awn”
  2. Old English · inherited fromeġl“an ail; awn; beard of barley; mote”
  3. Middle English · inherited fromeile
  4. English todayail

Inherited from Middle English eile, eyle, eiȝle, from Old English eġl (“an ail; awn; beard of barley; mote”), from Proto-Germanic *agilō (“awn”), related to *ahaz (“ear (of grain)”). Cognate with German Achel, Egel, Ägel.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.