I. ˈwä]səl, ]ˌsāl also ˈwȯ] sometimes ˈwa]; ̷ ̷ˈsāl, esp before pause or consonant -āəl noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English wæs hæil, washail, from Old Norse ves heill be in good health, from ves (imperative singular of vera to be) + heill healthy — more at was , whole
1. : an early English toast to someone's health or good luck made when offering him a cup of wine or drinking to him — compare drink hail
2. : a liquor formerly drunk in England on festive occasions (as at Christmas and Twelfth Night) and made of ale or wine flavored with spices and other ingredients (as sugar, toast, roasted apples)
3. : riotous drinking : revelry
became a place of wassail and fellowship — Julian Dana
a certain seediness in the morning after such wassail — Paul de Kruif
4. archaic
a. : a festive or drinking song or glee
b. : a carol sung by wassailers
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English wesseylen, from washail wassail
intransitive verb
1. : to hold a wassail : carouse
2. dialect England : to sing carols from house to house usually at Christmas time
transitive verb
: to drink to the health or thriving of
ceremonies of … wassailing fruit trees, caroling from house to house — Dorothy G. Spicer