▪ I. assail, v.1
(əˈseɪl)
Forms: 3 asailȝe, asale, 3–4 asayle, 3–5 asaile, 4 a-sayle, a-saile, 4–5 assaille, -aylle, -ale, 4–7 assaile, -ayle, 5 asaylle, asayl, 6– assail; (Sc. 4–5 assalȝe, 4–6 assailȝe, -ȝie). Aphet. 4 saile, 4–5 sayle.
[a. OFr. asalir, asaillir (mod. assaillir):—late pop. L. adsalīre (in Salic Law), f. ad to, at + salīre to leap, spring, an analytical form substituted for its cl. L. equivalent ad-, as-silīre. In 14–15th c. often aphetized to sail(e; in the full form refashioned with ass-, in Fr. and Eng., in 15th c. Certain uses seem to have been influenced by contact with the vb. assay ‘to try, tempt’: see senses 9–13 below.]
To leap upon or at, esp. with hostile intent; hence in most of its senses exactly synonymous with attack.
† 1. lit. To leap upon, ‘mount.’ (So F. assaillir.)
| 1387 Trevisa Higden Rolls Ser. III. 179 He hadde mynde of þe mare þat he had assailed [equæ suppositæ]. |
2. To make a violent hostile attack upon by physical means, to assault (a person, stronghold, etc.).
| c 1230 Ancr. R. 62 Hwile þat me mit quarreaus wiðuten asaileð þene castel. 1297 R. Glouc. 394 Hii bygonne..þen toun asaly. a 1300 Havelok 1861 Þe laddes..Him asayleden wit grete dintes. c 1314 Guy Warw. 1435 Than came Saddok prykande The dewke Segwyn saylande. 1375 Barbour Bruce iii. 151 Wes nane..That durst assailȝe him mar in fycht. c 1450 Lonelich Grail xii. 359 That ȝate asailled ne myhte not ben. 1513 Douglas æneis ix. ii. 17 Gif thai assailȝeit wer..be hard fortoun of weyr. 1671 Milton Samson 1165 No worthy match For valour to assail. 1713 Steele Englishm. No. 12. 77 It is for the Vulgar to assail one another like brute Beasts. 1876 Green Short Hist. i. §2. 15 This district was assailed at once from the north and from the south. |
3. To attack (institutions, customs, opinions, etc.) with hostile action or influence.
| 1564 Bauldwin Mor. Phil. (Palfr.) vii. §2 They that be evill..beare..armour offensive to assayle the good manners of others. 1634 Milton Comus 589 Virtue may be assail'd, but never hurt. 1844 Brougham Brit. Const. xvii. (1862) 252 Choosing to assail the religion of the people before he had destroyed their liberty. |
4. To attack with hostile, opprobrious, or bitter words; to speak or write directly against.
| 1593 Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, i. i. 65 Here in the Parliament Let vs assayle the Family of Yorke. a 1744 Pope On Duke of Buckhm's. Verses 3 Let crowds of Critics now my verse assail. 1855 Prescott Philip II, I. ii. vii. 222 Assailing the fallen minister with libels and caricatures. |
5. To attack with reasoning or argument; to address with the object of prevailing upon, persuading, convincing, or controverting.
| c 1440 Morte Arth. (Roxb.) 86 The kynge the messyngere thus dyd assayle: ‘It were pite to sette warre vs bytwene.’ 1602 Shakes. Ham. i. i. 31 Let vs once againe assaile your eares That are so fortified against our story. 1695 Blackmore Pr. Arth. i. 43 Nor did his Arts in vain weak man assail. 1791 T. Jefferson Writ. (1859) III. 232 They would assail us on the subject of the treaty. 1833 H. Martineau Manch. Strike x. 114 She assailed her husband on the subject of taking work. |
6. To approach (anything arduous or difficult) with the intention of mastering it.
| a 1680 Butler Rem. (1759) V. 3 The lofty Tube, the Scale With which they Heav'n itself assail, Was mounted full against the Moon. 1725 Pope Odyss. xix. 508 The thorny wilds the woodmen fierce assail. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. §25. 182 Assailing the rocks at their base, and climbing them to the cabin. |
7. Of things: To come roughly against, so as to batter, injure, or hurt; to dash against, encounter.
| 1667 Milton P.L. x. 417 And [Chaos] with rebounding surge the barrs assaild, That scorn'd his indignation. a 1800 Cowper Watching with God ii, No rude noise mine ears assailing. 1860 Tyndall Glac. i. §3. 31 We were assailed by a violent hailstorm. |
8. fig. Of states physical, emotional, or mental: To come upon with tendency to master or overcome; to invade, attack.
| 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 2330 When þe ded assaylles a man. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. ii. 96 Til slepe hem assaille. c 1430 Syr Generides 1694 Ther had he rest but small, So loue assaled him ouerall. 1595 Shakes. John v. vii. 9 That fell poison which assayleth him. 1697 Dryden æneid iii. (R.) New pangs of mortal fear our minds assail. 1807 Crabbe Par. Reg. ii. 136 Compassion first assailed her gentle heart. 1837 Newman Par. Serm. I. xix. 291 When doubt and unbelief assail 1s. |
† 9. To attack with temptations; to tempt, try.
| c 1220 Hali Meid. 47 Þu ne schalt beon icrunet bute þu beo asailȝet. 1340 Ayenb. 249 He [the devil] asaylede þane uerste man be þe mouþe. 1483 Caxton G. de la Tour F iij b, Grete and euylle temptacions shall befight and assaylle yow. a 1564 Becon New Catech. Wks. (1844) 190 But doth God assail sinners only with this temptation of adversity? |
† 10. To address with offers of love, to woo. Obs.
| c 1600 Shakes. Sonn. xli, Beauteous thou art, therefore to be assail'd. 1601 ― Twel. N. i. iii. 60 Accost, is, front her, boord her, woe her, assayle her. 1611 ― Cymb. ii. iii. 44, I haue assayl'd her with Musickes. |
11. absol. quasi-intr. in prec. senses. (With quot. 1440 cf. OF. ‘pour assaillir aux trois portes.’ Littré.)
| 1297 R. Glouc. 395 As noble men, hii asaylede euere vaste. 1375 Barbour Bruce ix. 31 Gif thai assalȝe, we mon defend. 1440 Partonope 6579 Thre to hym sayled of the rowte And held on his helme. 1594 Shakes. Lucr. 63 When shame assail'd, the red should fence the white. 1779 J. Newton Olney Hymns vii, Though troubles assail, and dangers affright. |
† 12. To make trial of, venture on, assay. Obs.
| 1393 Gower Conf. I. 247 The souldan hath the feld assailed. a 1440 Sir Degrev. 1075 Ther was non so hardy That durst asayl the cry. 1595 Markham Sir R. Grinuile xcviii, None darring to assayle a second fight. |
† 13. intr. a. with inf. To attempt, endeavour, assay. Obs.
| 1393 Gower Conf. III. 45 With nigromaunce he wolde assaile To make his incantacion. 1592 tr. Junius' Comm. Rev. xx. 1 Satan assayled to invade the Christian Church. 1606 G. W[oodcocke] Hist. Justine 122 b, Hee assailed to steale home into his kingdome. |
† b. with subord. clause. To try, put to the test. Obs.
| 1536 Bellendene Cron. Scotl. (1821) I. 20 Delite ye ony further to assailye, gif ony band may be kepit with unfaithful pepill? |
▪ II. † aˈssail, v.2 Obs.
[f. as- for a- prefix 11 + sail v.]
To sail. (But possibly an absol. use of assail v.1 12 ‘to venture.’)
| c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame i. 434 (Bodley & Fairfax MSS.) Thoo sawgh I grave [= pictured] how that to Itayle Daun Eneas is goo for to assayle [Caxt. saylle, Thynne sayle]. 1482 J. Warkworth Chron. 26 And rode into Scottlande, and frome thens into Fraunce assailed. |
▪ III. assail, n. arch.
(əˈseɪl)
Forms: 4 assale, 5 assall, 6 assailȝe, 7 assaile, 6– assail.
[orig. prob. a. OF. assaille. f. assaillir to assail; in later use referred to the Eng. vb.]
Assault, attack.
| 1375 Barbour Bruce ix. 350 The toun wes hard to ta Vith oppyn assale. 1552 Lyndesay Monarche 3980 Duryng the tyme of this assailȝe. 1603 P. Holland Plutarch's Mor. 1269 Cities forced by assaile. 1768 B. Thornton Batt. Whigs iii. 4 Rous'd from his torpor joins in fierce assail. 1813 J. Hogg Queen's Wake 261 As oft recoiled from flank assail. |