Avail, n.
1. Profit; advantage toward success; benefit; value; as, labor, without economy, is of little avail. The avail of a deathbed repentance. Jer. Taylor.
2. pl.
Proceeds; as, the avails of a sale by auction. The avails of their own industry. Stoddard.
Syn. -- Use; benefit; utility; profit; service.
3 other Webster entries under this spelling
Avail, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Availed (p. pr. & vb. n. Availing.]
1. To turn to the advantage of; to be of service to; to profit; to benefit; to help; as, artifices will not avail the sinner in the day of judgment. O, what avails me now that honor high ! Milton.
2. To promote; to assist. [Obs.] Pope. To avail one's self of, to make use of; take advantage of. Then shall they seek to avail themselves of names. Milton. I have availed myself of the very first opportunity. Dickens.
Avail, v. i.
To be of use or advantage; to answer the purpose; to have strength, force, or efficacy sufficient to accomplish the object; as, the plea in bar must avail, that is, be sufficient to defeat the suit; this scheme will not avail; medicines will not avail to check the disease. "What signs avail " Milton. Words avail very little with me, young man. Sir W. Scott.
Avail, v. t. & i.
See Avale, v. [Obs.] Spenser.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for avail; he lists it under profit, utility.
He lists it without comment; the entries above explain its neighbors.