# ail

> English word · Verb · IPA /eɪl/ · frequency rank #69,626

## Definitions
1. To cause to suffer; to trouble, afflict. (Now chiefly in interrogative or indefinite constructions.)
2. To be ill; to suffer; to be troubled.

## Etymology
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”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/ail