wassail
oxford
views updated May 23 2018was·sail / ˈwäsəl; -ˌsāl/ archaic •
n. spiced ale or mulled wine drunk during celebrations for Twelfth Night and Christmas Eve. ∎ lively and noisy festivities involving the drinking of plentiful amounts of alcohol; revelry.•
v. 1. [intr.] drink plentiful amounts of alcohol and enjoy oneself with others in a noisy, lively way.2. go from house to house at Christmas singing carols: here we go a-wassailing.DERIVATIVES: was·sail·er n.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 cent. the usage was considered by the Normans to be characteristic of Englishmen.
The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English
wassail
oxford
views updated May 29 2018wassail spiced ale or mulled wine drunk during celebrations for
Twelfth Night and Christmas Eve; lively and noisy festivities involving the drinking of plentiful amounts of alcohol; revelry. The word comes from Middle English
wæs hæil ‘be in (good) health’, from Old Norse
ves heill. 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.
The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES
wassail
oxford
views updated May 14 2018wassail salutation used when presenting drink to a guest or drinking his health XIII (
wæs hæil,
wassayl,
-ail; after XIV only hist. and dial.); liquor for drinking healths; carousal XVII. — ON.
ves heill ‘be in good health’ (see
HALE1).
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD
wassail
oxford
views updated May 21 2018wassail. Old Eng. term for jovial and convivial song which often occurs in
Christmas carols.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE
wassail
oxford
views updated Jun 08 2018wassail 1. Spiced ale, drunk especially on festive occasions.
2. Salutation or toast drunk to a person's health.
A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition DAVID A. BENDER