wassail

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

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