AVAIL
avail, help, service
(noun) a means of serving; “of no avail”; “there’s no help for it”
avail
(verb) use to one’s advantage; “He availed himself of the available resources”
avail, help
(verb) take or use; “She helped herself to some of the office supplies”
avail
(verb) be of use to, be useful to; “It will avail them to dispose of their booty”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
avail (third-person singular simple present avails, present participle availing, simple past and past participle availed)
(transitive, often, reflexive) To turn to the advantage of.
(transitive) To be of service to.
(transitive) To promote; to assist.
(intransitive) To be of use or advantage; to answer or serve the purpose; to have strength, force, or efficacy sufficient to accomplish the object.
(India, Africa, elsewhere proscribed) To provide; to make available.
Antonyms
• disavail
Noun
avail (plural avails)
Effect in achieving a goal or aim; purpose, use (now usually in negative constructions). [from 15thc.]
(now only US) Proceeds; profits from business transactions. [from 15thc.]
(television, advertising) An advertising slot or package.
(US, politics, journalism) A press avail.
(British, acting) Non-binding notice of availability for work.
(oil industry) A readily available stock of oil.
(obsolete) Benefit; value, profit; advantage toward success. [15th-19thc.]
(obsolete, poetic) Effort; striving.
Usage notes
• (success or benefit): Very often encountered in negative phrases, such as of or to no or little avail.
Anagrams
• Alavi, Alvia, Avila
Source: Wiktionary
A*vail", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Availed (p. pr. & vb. n. Availing.] Etym: [OE. availen, fr. F. ad) + valoir to be worth, fr. L. valere to be strong, to be worth. See Valiant.]
1. To turn to the advantage of; to be of service to; to profit; to benefit; to help; as, artifices will not avail the sinner in the day of judgment. O, what avails me now that honor high ! Milton.
2. To promote; to assist. [Obs.] Pope. To avail one's self of, to make use of; take advantage of. Then shall they seek to avail themselves of names. Milton. I have availed myself of the very first opportunity. Dickens.
A*vail", v. i.
Definition: To be of use or advantage; to answer the purpose; to have strength, force, or efficacy sufficient to accomplish the object; as, the plea in bar must avail, that is, be sufficient to defeat the suit; this scheme will not avail; medicines will not avail to check the disease. "What signs avail " Milton. Words avail very little with me, young man. Sir W. Scott.
A*vail", n.
1. Profit; advantage toward success; benefit; value; as, labor, without economy, is of little avail. The avail of a deathbed repentance. Jer. Taylor.
2. pl.
Definition: Proceeds; as, the avails of a sale by auction. The avails of their own industry. Stoddard.
Syn.
– Use; benefit; utility; profit; service.
A*vail", v. t. & i.
Definition: See Avale, v. [Obs.] Spenser.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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