wassail
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3 ENTRIES FOUND:

1was·sail

noun \ˈwä-səl also wä-ˈsāl\

Definition of WASSAIL

1
: an early English toast to someone's health
2
: a hot drink that is made with wine, beer, or cider, spices, sugar, and usually baked apples and is traditionally served in a large bowl especially at Christmastime
3
: riotous drinking : revelry

Examples of WASSAIL

  1. <woke up with a terrible headache from a wild wassail the night before>

Origin of WASSAIL

Middle English wæs hæil, washayl, from Old Norse ves heill be well, from ves (imperative singular of vera to be) + heill healthy — more at was, whole
First Known Use: 12th century

Other Alcoholic Beverage Terms

finish, gimlet, mull, sake, setup, sommelier, syllabub, vintner

2wassail

verb

Definition of WASSAIL

intransitive verb
1
: to indulge in wassail : carouse
2
dialect English : to sing carols from house to house at Christmas
transitive verb
: to drink to the health or thriving of

Examples of WASSAIL

  1. <the knights feasted and wassailed for three days after the battlefield victory>

First Known Use of WASSAIL

14th century

Related to WASSAIL

Synonyms
binge, birl [chiefly Scottish], revel, roister, carouse

Rhymes with WASSAIL

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