/ əˈveɪl; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
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IDIOMS
- to little / no avail
- of little / no avail
■ verb
[ vn ] ( formal or old-fashioned ) to be helpful or useful to sb
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PHRASAL VERBS
- avail yourself of sth
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from obsolete vail be of use or value (apparently on the pattern of pairs such as amount , mount ), from Old French valoir , from Latin valere be strong, be of value.