To attack someone or something forcefully and repeatedly, either physically or with words.
From Old French 'assaillir,' from 'a-' (to) + 'saillir' (to leap or jump, from Latin 'salire'). The literal meaning of 'leaping at' evolved into the general sense of violent attack in medieval French.
The Latin root 'salire' (to leap) is the same root that gives us 'somersault' and 'insult'—so 'assail' literally means 'to leap upon' someone, which is a perfect image for how aggressive actions take us by sudden surprise.
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