Something comes at you from outside and hits hard, and then comes again. Soldiers running at a wall; winter going at a harbour, one after another, all night. The word keeps that shape even when nothing solid is moving. A smell can arrive that way, all at once and too strong to shut out. So can a loud noise. So can your own doubts, which feel as if they come from somewhere else and land on you. So can a page of criticism. What stays constant is the direction and the force: it comes towards a target, it lands hard, and it usually does not stop after one go.
From the word’s history
Assail comes through Old French assaillir from Latin ad, meaning towards, plus salire, meaning to jump. The literal picture is jumping at something. That is the same root that gives English assault.
assail 經由古法文 assaillir，來自拉丁文 ad（朝向）加 salīre（跳），字面上就是「朝著某個東西跳過去」（本包提供的 Wiktionary 詞源）。英文的 assault 也是同一個源頭。這條線索正好對上今天的用法：不管跳過來的是人、是味道、還是一個念頭，方向都是朝著目標，而且落下來很重。
Wiktionary entry for assail, etymology section supplied in this packet: from Middle English assailen, from Old French assaillir, from Late Latin assalire, from Latin ad (at, towards) + salire (jump).
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