assail

UK: əˈseɪl | US: əˈseɪl

Definition

  1. vt. to attack violently or verbally

  2. vt. to confront with persistent challenges

  3. vt. (of sounds/smells) to strike aggressively upon the senses

Structure
as <suffix intensifier>sail <jump, attack>as <prefix>sail <root>
Etymology

The word traces back to Latin assalire (to leap upon), combining ad- (toward) + salire (to jump). In medieval combat, this implied a sudden, forceful attack—later generalized to verbal or sensory assaults. The root salire also spawned "assault," "sally," and even "salient" (leaping forward).

Examples

  1. The army prepared to assail the fortress at dawn.

  2. Critics assailed the new policy as unjust.

  3. A pungent odor assailed our nostrils upon entering the room.

  4. He was assailed by doubts before the exam.

  5. Waves assailed the shore during the storm.