Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ASSAIL
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The word assail comes from the Latin salire, "to leap."
"Assail" has Latin bits that literally mean "to leap toward." We've used it in English for many centuries to mean "to attack violently."
Parts of speech:
Pick the formal, common word "assail" when you want to emphasize the suddenness and violence of an attack.
"Charles had moved into a shed where his nostrils would not be assailed by the immaculate but painful smells of lye and soda and ammonia and yellow soap."
Explain the meaning of "assail" without saying "have a go at" or "lay into."
A lot of writers these days use "assail" as a synonym of "criticize" or "call out," as in "Customers and lawmakers assail TicketMaster for its excessive fees." Although this usage is common and accepted, I don't recommend it.
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
1.
Opposites of ASSAIL include
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