| ail | To affect with pain or uneasiness, either physical or mental; to trouble; to be the matter with; used to express some uneasiness or affection, whose cause is unknown; as, what ails the man? I know not what ails him. "What aileth thee, Hagar?" (Gen. Xxi. 17) It is never used to express a specific disease. We do not say, a fever ails him; but, something ails him. Origin: OE. Eilen, ailen, AS. Eglan to trouble, pain; akin to Goth. Us-agljan to distress, agls troublesome, irksome, aglo, aglitha, pain, and prob. To E. Awe. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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