Word of the Day

: December 24, 2024

wassail

verb WAH-sul

What It Means

To wassail is to sing carols (popular songs or ballads of religious joy) from house to house at Christmas; the verb is usually used in the phrase "go wassailing." As a noun, wassail can refer to (among other things) a hot drink that is made with wine, beer, or cider, as well as spices, sugar, and usually baked apples. Wassail is traditionally served in a large bowl especially at Christmastime.

// Every year at Christmastime the magazine publishes a recipe for the traditional drink served to those who go wassailing and may appear at one's doorstep.

See the entry >

wassail in Context

"As early as the 13th century, people in England would travel between houses to go wassailing and wish their neighbors well during the winter months." — The Cedar County (Missouri) Republican & Stockton Journal, 20 Dec. 2023

Did You Know?

This season, you might hear (or sing) the Christmas carol that begins, "Here we come a-wassailing / among the leaves so green." As is holiday tradition, you will wonder: what in the world is "a-wassailing?" In fact, wassailing is an old custom that goes back to the 1300s. The verb wassail comes from the noun wassail, which dates to the 1200s and was first used to refer to an Old English custom of hospitality. In medieval England, a courteous host would offer a cup to a guest and toast them with the salutation wæs hæil, or "be in good health." The guest would accept the cup and respond with drinc hæil, "drink in good health." Soon, wassail was also being applied to the party at which the wassail was offered, as well as the actual drink passed around. By the 1400s, it was used to refer specifically to a drink served at Christmastime. As the drink became associated with yuletide, wassailing itself changed. The meaning of the verb wassail as it shows up in the carol refers to going around, caroling, and wishing those you visit good health and holiday cheer.