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wassail

was·sail

UK/ˈwɒseɪl/ US/ˈwɑseɪl/ uncommon
noun (1) verb (2)

noun

1.

a punch made of sweetened ale or wine heated with spices and roasted apples; especially at Christmas

verb

1.

celebrate noisily, often indulging in drinking; engage in uproarious festivities

  • “The members of the wedding party made merry all night”
  • “Let”
Synonyms
2.

propose a toast to

  • “Let us toast the birthday girl!”
  • “Let”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English wassail, from Old Norse ves heill (“be healthy!”), from the imperative of vesa (“to be”) + heill (“healthy”). The earliest documented use of the term is from the first part of the 12th century CE, in Geoffroy of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae (see page's citations).

Phrases

  • wassail bowl
  • Wassail in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.