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wassail

Pronunciation: /ˈwɒseɪl, ˈwɒs(ə)l, ˈwa-/

archaic
Definition of wassail

noun

[mass noun]
  • spiced ale or mulled wine drunk during celebrations for Twelfth Night and Christmas Eve: a mighty bowl of wassail in which the apples were hissing and bubbling
  • lively and noisy festivities involving the drinking of plentiful amounts of alcohol; revelry: I arrived in Eastcheap, that ancient region of wit and wassail

verb

[no object]
  • 1drink plentiful amounts of alcohol and enjoy oneself with others in a noisy, lively way: he feasted and wassailed with his warriors
  • [with object] historical (in SW England) drink to (fruit trees, typically apple trees) in a custom intended to ensure a fruitful crop: it is the custom, in the cider districts of Sussex, to wassail the apple trees
  • 2go from house to house at Christmas singing carols:here we go a-wassailing

Derivatives

wassailer

noun

Origin:

Middle English wæs hæil 'be in (good) health!': from Old Norse ves heill (compare with hail2). The drinking formula wassail (and the reply drinkhail 'drink good health') were probably introduced by Danish-speaking inhabitants of England, and then spread, so that by the 12th century the usage was considered by the Normans to be characteristic of Englishmen

wassail in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of wassail in the US English dictionary

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