avail
Definitions
(avail oneself of) to make use of something offered
（avail oneself of）利用，使用
To be of use or benefit
有益，有用
Use or benefit (chiefly in 'to no avail')
效用，益处（多用于 to no avail）
Root Breakdown
Root-deriveda- (a form of ad-, 'to') + valēre (be strong, be worth) = 'to be of worth to someone.' Something that avails you is useful to you. The most common forms today are the reflexive avail oneself of (take advantage of) and the noun phrase to no avail (with no benefit).
Root val still carries 48 more wordsWhy It Means This
avail is the parent of the everyday word available. The link: if something avails you (is of use to you), it is available (able to be used). avail itself now sounds formal or fixed-phrase, but available, born from it, became one of the most common words in English.
Usage Guide
In modern English avail mostly appears in two patterns: (1) avail oneself of an opportunity/service — formal, means 'take advantage of'; (2) to no avail / of little avail — a fixed phrase meaning 'without success.' The bare verb ('it availed nothing') is now literary.
Example Sentences
- 1.
Guests may avail themselves of the hotel's free shuttle.
- 2.
They searched all night, but to no avail.
- 3.
Please avail yourself of the resources in the library.