assail vs surprise

assail is not a noun while surprise is a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
assail	No	No	Yes	No
surprise	Yes	No	Yes	No

As verbs, surprise is a hyponym of assail; that is, surprise is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than assail:

assail: launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with
surprise: attack by storm; attack suddenly

assail (noun)	surprise (noun)
	the act of surprising someone
	a sudden unexpected event
	the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you

assail (verb)	surprise (verb)
attack in speech or writing	cause to be surprised
attack someone physically or emotionally	attack by storm; attack suddenly
launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with	come upon or take unawares