From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Avail \A*vail"\, n.
1. Profit; advantage toward success; benefit; value; as,
labor, without economy, is of little avail.
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The avail of a deathbed repentance. --Jer. Taylor.
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2. pl. Proceeds; as, the avails of a sale by auction.
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The avails of their own industry. --Stoddard.
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Syn: Use; benefit; utility; profit; service.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Avail \A*vail"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Availed (?); p. pr. & vb.
n. Availing.] [OE. availen, fr. F. ? (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.
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O, what avails me now that honor high ! --Milton.
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2. To promote; to assist. [Obs.] --Pope.
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To avail one's self of, to make use of; take advantage of.
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Then shall they seek to avail themselves of names.
--Milton.
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I have availed myself of the very first opportunity.
--Dickens.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Avail \A*vail"\, v. t. & i.
See Avale, v. [Obs.] --Spenser.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Avail \A*vail"\, v. 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.
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Words avail very little with me, young man. --Sir W.
Scott.
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From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
avail
n 1: a means of serving; "of no avail"; "there's no help for it"
[syn: avail, help, service]
v 1: use to one's advantage; "He availed himself of the
available resources"
2: be of use to, be useful to; "It will avail them to dispose of
their booty"
3: take or use; "She helped herself to some of the office
supplies" [syn: avail, help]