ASSA'IL, verb transitive [Latin assilio, to leap or rush upon, of ad and salio, to leap, to rise.] 1. To leap or fall upon by violence; to assault; to attack suddenly, as when one person falls upon another to beat him. 2. To invade or attack, in a hostile manner, as an army, or nation. 3. To attack with arguments, censure, abuse, or criticism, with a view to injure, bring into disrepute, or overthrow. 4. To attack, with a view to overcome, by motives applied to the passions. Nor hide the encounter of assailing eyes.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI