ail

Ail is the English verb meaning to trouble or afflict someone or something. It is used with the subject of distress and takes forms such as ails, ailing, and ailed. Common expressions include "What ails you?" and "a chronic condition ails him." The term can refer to illness, injury, or other problems causing suffering, and in formal writing one may prefer "illness" or "health problem" rather than the verb.

The noun form ailment denotes a disease or medical condition, for example, "He suffers from several ailments." The related adjective ailing describes someone or something in a weakened or ill state, as in "the ailing economy" or "an ailing patient." The word is widely used in medical, literary, and everyday contexts to convey distress or ongoing difficulty.

Etymology traces the verb ail to Old English and other Germanic roots, reflecting a long-standing sense of distress or harm. The exact lineage is etymologically complex, but the term has remained in common English use for centuries, with variations in form to express different times and subjects of distress.

In addition to English usage, ail appears in French as ail meaning garlic, a separate word with no semantic connection to the English verb. This homograph may appear in bilingual contexts or language studies, where careful attention to meaning is required. Overall, ail centers on the idea of suffering or being troubled, whether describing people, conditions, or situations.