| 释义 |
▪ I. avail, v.|əˈveɪl|
Forms: 4–7 au- avail(e, au- avayle, 4–5 au- availl(e, aveile, 5–6 au- avaylle, avayl, aduayle, 4– avail. North. 4–5 avalȝe, awaill, awailȝe, awayle, 5–6 awale: see av-.
[Not in Fr.; apparently formed on the simple vail v. (ad. F. vaille, f. valoir to be worth:—L. valēre) as if this were an aphetic form; cf. gree, agree, mount, amount, etc. Both vb. and n. were occas. spelt advayle in 15–16th c. on assumed L. analogies: see ad- prefix 2. In senses 1–3 chiefly in negative or interrogative sentences.]
I. Regular senses.
1. a. intr. To have force or efficacy for the accomplishment of a purpose; to be effectual, serviceable, or of use; to afford help.
a1300Cursor M. 90 Quat bote is to sette traueil On thyng þat may not auail. 1494Fabyan vii. 357 But all aduayled ryght nought. 1567J. Maplet Gr. Forest 23 Zellicum..availeth against venome. 1583Stanyhurst Aeneis ii. (Arb.) 68 This labor..too no great purpose auayleth. 1667Milton P.L. xi. 312 But prayer against his absolute Decree No more availes than breath against the winde. 1718Pope Iliad vii. 176 Nor aught the warrior's thundering mace avail'd. 1818Scott Rob Roy i, ‘Words avail very little with me, young man,’ said my father. 1836J. Gilbert Chr. Atonem. iii. 69 No ingenuity can avail to confound them.
†b. of persons. Obs.
c1450Lonelich Grail xx. 204 Thanne of his knyhtes he axede counsaille, Ȝif to that roche they cowden owght availle. 1542Udall Erasm. Apophth. 4, I auaile moche more, saieth he, in that I teach all thother Phisicians.
c. † avalȝe que valȝe (mod.F. vaille que vaille): let it avail what it may, come what may. Obs.
1375Barbour Bruce ix. 147 Thai wuld defend, avalȝe que valȝe. [1552Lyndesay Papyngo 161, I wyll, said scho, ascend, vailȝe quod vailȝe.]
2. intr. To be of value, profit, or advantage.
1375Barbour Bruce i. 336 For knawlage off mony statis May quhile awailȝe full mony gatis. 1538Starkey England 37 What avaylyth hyt to have ryches..to hym wych can not by wysdome use them. 1583Stanyhurst Aeneis ii. (Arb.) 46 Whilst counsel auayled, Then we were of reckning. 1844Disraeli Coningsby vii. vii. 275 What avail his golden youth, his high blood..if they help not now?
3. trans. (the obj. was at first dat.) To be of use or advantage to; to benefit, profit; to help, assist:
a. a person.
a1300Cursor M. 7992 Þou folu it [consail], þe sal it a-wail. c1384Chaucer H. Fame 363 Al hir compleynt..avayleth hir not a stre. 1465Paston Lett. 498 II. 175 They [will] not [be] so avaylled as they weene. 1611Bible Esther v. 13 All this auaileth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Iew sitting at the kings gate. 1742Richardson Pamela IV. 209 What avails it me to oppose them? 1816J. Wilson City of Plague ii. v. 89 Right pious words! but they will not avail thee.
†b. a thing (e.g. a cause, disease). Obs.
c1374Chaucer Troylus i. 20 If this may done gladnesse To any louer, and his cause aueile. 1576Baker Gesner's Jewell Health 89 b, This also much avayleth and helpeth any passion of the bodie.
†4. refl. To benefit or advantage oneself. Obs.
1787G. White Selborne v. (1789) 14 They availed themselves greatly by spinning wool.
5. esp. to avail oneself of (in Shakes., elliptically, to avail of):
a. to benefit oneself or profit by; to take advantage of, turn to account. (With indirect passive, esp. in U.S.)
1603Shakes. Meas. for M. iii. i. 243 But how of this can shee auaile? 1667Milton P.L. xii. 515 Then shall they seek to avail themselves of names, Places, and titles. 1860Tyndall Glac. i. §i. 1, I..availed myself of my position to make an excursion into North Wales. 1861Emerson Cond. Life 24 Power..must be availed of, and not by any means let off and wasted. 1899Westm. Gaz. 25 Aug. 4/1 It is now definitely settled that the Admiralty..will avail of the opportunity..for the renewal of the subsidies. 1927Daily Tel. 30 Aug. 8/6 The wonderful system of drainage is being availed of.
b. to make use of, use, employ.
1768Sterne Sent. Journ. (1778) I. 119 La Fleur availed himself but of two different terms of exclamation in this encounter. 1838Dickens Lett. (1880) I. 7, I have availed myself of the very first opportunity of writing.
6. to avail upon (a person): to take advantage of, impose upon. rare.
1866Carlyle Remin. (1881) II. 115 Very independent where mere rank etc. attempted to avail upon him.
7. causal. To give (a person) the benefit or advantage of; hence ellipt. to give him the advantage of knowing, to inform, assure of. (Only in U.S.)
1785T. Jefferson Corr. Wks. 1859 I. 418 It will rest, therefore, with you, to avail Mr. Barclay of that fund. 1789― Writ. (1859) III. 22, I shall avail government of the useful information I have received from you. a1794Witherspoon Wks. IV. 296 (Bartlett), The members of a popular government should be continually availed of the..condition of every part. 1843Mrs. Trollope Barnabys in Amer. xviii. 119 ‘We should have got no invites, you may be availed of that, I expect.’
II. Isolated senses after L. valēre.
†8. intr. To do well, prosper, profit. Obs.
1523Ld. Berners Froiss. I. viii. 6 Your besynesse shall auayle moche the better. 1560Whitehorne Arte Warre (1573) 98 b, To take the commoditie from the enemie, that he availe not by the things of thy country. 1563T. Hill Arte Garden. (1593) 44 Al such partes which may be holpen by cooling, may with the iuice of it..annointed on those places, greatly auaile.
†9. trans. To be worth or equivalent to. Obs.
1582–8Hist. Jas. VI (1804) 25 A ressonabill pecuniall sowme, availling a thowsand punds money of Scotland. 1598Barret Theor. Warres iii. ii. 70 One shot well bestowed, auayleth many vnaduisedly spent.
▪ II. avail, n.|əˈveɪl|
Forms: 5–8 au- availe, 5–7 au- avayle, 5 au- availle, au- avayll(e, 5–6 advail(le, advayle, 5– avail. North. 5 awayle, awaylle, aweyle, 6 availl, avale. See av-.
[f. prec. vb.; or perhaps on vail n., which seems, however, to be later, and may itself be an aphetic form of this.]
1. Beneficial effect; advantage, benefit, profit. arch. or Obs. exc. as in 4.
c1420Pallad. on Husb. i. 850 For anntes eke an oules herte availe is To putte upon her bedde. Ibid. iii. 497 Croppe and tail To save..is thyne advail. 1489Caxton Faytes of A. i. xxiv. 76 Thus they may lette more than doo eny auayll. 1600Tourneur Transf. Metam. lxiii, Both usde their blades unto so good availe. 1694Lond. Gaz. 2959/3 Which Horses..are to be rouped..to the best avail. 1871Daily News 24 July, Taking avail of the cover.
†b. to have at avail: i.e. at an advantage. Obs.
1470–85Malory Arthur i. xxiii, Hym thought no worship to haue a knyght at suche auaille, he to be on horsbak and he on foot. c1500in Furnivall Percy Folio I. 107 So shalt thou nott skape..I have thee nowe at avayle.
†2. Assistance, help, aid. Obs. exc. as in 4.
c1450Lonelich Grail xiii. 475 And ȝit kepte Tholome to his availles, In his refrescheng, twey batailles. 1556Abp. Parker Ps. ix. 10 For their aduayle thou wilt not fayle, All them that thee do seeke. 1640Sanderson 21 Serm. Ad. Aul. xii. (1673) 169 Furtherance or avail towards the attaining of that end.
†3. Value, estimation. Obs. or arch.
1513Douglas æneis ix. Prol. 50 The cur, or mastis, he haldis at small availl. 1631J. Taylor (Water P.) Fort. Wheele (1848) 13 They hold your blessinge in no more avayle, Then is the flapping of a fox his taile! 1846Sir W. Hamilton Logic (1866) II. App. 252 It is only as indefinite that particular, it is only as definite that individual and general, quantities have any (and the same) logical avail.
4. of avail: of advantage or assistance in accomplishing a purpose, effective, effectual. of no avail, without avail: ineffectual. to little avail: with little effect, ineffectually, to little purpose.
c1450Crt. of Love 116 Cloth of gold..And other silk of easier availe. a1704Locke (J.) Truth, light upon this way, is of no more avail to us than errour. 1810Southey Kehama xi. 11 The impervious mail, The shield and helmet of avail. 1814Chalmers Evid. Chr. Revel. i. 12 The highest sagacity is of no avail, when there is an insufficiency of data. 1817Jas. Mill Brit. India II. iv. v. 177 He found all he could urge without avail. 1862Grote Greece xl. III. 434 Bows and arrows were of little avail. 1881Buchanan God & Man I. 281 This he did, but to little avail.
5. concr. (chiefly pl.) Profits or proceeds of business transactions; remuneration or perquisites of employment. Cf. vails. (Obs. exc. U.S.)
c1449Pecock Repr. 392 A riȝt forto..haue certeyn fruytis or sum othir avail. 1483Caxton G. de la Tour M. viij, [He] promysed hym..grete auaylles and prouffytees. 1568T. Howell Arb. Amitie (1879) 83 The Marchant..Doth ioy for gaine of his auailes. 1601Holland Pliny II. 476 This [Minium] setleth down to the bottom of the water..and the painters take it for their auailes. a1733North Exam. ii. iv. ⁋59. 260 Which..is no small Availes of a Discoverer that has the selling the Copies. 1860Hawthorne Marble Faun (1879) II. xviii. 180 The avails are devoted to some beneficent..purpose.
▪ III. avail(e, avayle
var. avale v. Obs. to go down. |