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Webster 1913 Edition

Avail

A-vail′

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Availed
([GREEK]);
p. pr. & vb. n.
Availing
.]
[OE.
availen
, fr. F. [GREEK] (L.
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′

,
Verb.
I.
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′

,
Noun.
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.
Proceeds;
as, the
avails
of a sale by auction
.
The
avails
of their own industry.
Stoddard.
Syn. – Use; benefit; utility; profit; service.

A-vail′

,
Verb.
T.
&
I.
See
Avale
,
Verb.
[Obs.]
Spenser.

Webster 1828 Edition

Avail

AVA'IL

,
Verb.
T.
[L. valeo, to be strong or able, to profit, to be of force or authority; Eng. well. The primary sense is, to stretch or extend, whence strength, value.]
1.
To profit one's self; to turn to advantage; followed by the pronouns, myself, thyself, himself, herself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves, with of before the thing used; as, let him avail himself of his license.
2.
To assist or profit; to effect the object, or bring to a successful issue; as, what will skill avail us against numbers. Artifices will not avail the sinner in the day of judgment.

AVA'IL

,
Verb.
I.
To be of use, or advantage; to answer the purpose; as, strength without judgment will rarely avail. Generally, it signifies 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; suppositions, without proof, will not avail.

AVA'IL

,
Noun.
Profit; advantage towards success; benefit; as, labor without economy is of little avail. It seems usually to convey the idea of efficacious aid or strength.

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