Assail Definition
ə-sāl
assailed, assailing, assails
verb
assailed, assailing, assails
To attack violently, as with blows or military force; assault.
American Heritage
To attack physically and violently; assault.
Webster's New World
To attack verbally, as with ridicule or censure.
American Heritage
To attack with arguments, questions, doubts, etc.
Webster's New World
To trouble or beset, as with questions or doubts.
American Heritage
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Origin of Assail
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Middle English assailen from Old French asalir asaill- from Vulgar Latin assalīre variant of Latin assilīre to jump on ad- onto ad– salīre to jump sel- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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Old French verb asaillir, from Latin assiliō, from ad (“towards”) + saliō (“to jump”). See also assault.
From Wiktionary
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