| 释义 |
wassail
was·sail W0041100 (wŏs′əl, wŏ-sāl′)n.1. a. A salutation or toast given in drinking someone's health or as an expression of goodwill at a festivity.b. The drink used in such toasting, commonly ale or wine spiced with roasted apples and sugar.2. A festivity characterized by much drinking.v. was·sailed, was·sail·ing, was·sails v.tr. To drink to the health of; toast.v.intr. To engage in or drink a wassail.
[Middle English, contraction of wæshæil, be healthy, from Old Norse ves heill : ves, imperative sing. of vera, to be; see wes- in Indo-European roots + heill, healthy; see kailo- in Indo-European roots.]
was′sail·er n.Word History: Wassail is an English holiday drink consisting of spiced mulled wine, ale, or some other fermented beverage such as hard cider or mead. The word is also used as a verb: to drink someone's health, especially in the course of traveling around one's neighborhood, singing songs at neighbors' houses and receiving food and drink in return, is to wassail—as in the traditional carol "Here We Come A-Wassailing."¶Both the noun wassail and its associated verb come from one of the most popular expressions used in medieval England in toasting someone's health. The Middle English toast Wæshæil! comes from the Old Norse salutation Ves heill! which had been brought to Britain by the invading Danes in the 9th Century ad. The Anglo-Saxons, for their part, had a corresponding salutation, Wes þū hāl! which they used as a general greeting—variations of it can be found in Beowulf (Wæs þū, Hroðgar, hāl! says the young hero when he meets King Hrothgar) and in the West Saxon Gospels (at the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel greets Mary with Hāl wes þū!).¶These greetings and toasts literally mean "Be healthy!"—a sentiment that survives in the Modern English toast To your health! and in many toasts in other languages, such as the Spanish Salud! and the French Santé! which both simply mean "health." The Old English hāl, incidentally, means not only "healthy" (it is the origin of Modern English hale) but also "undamaged, entire" (it is also the origin of the word whole). wassail (ˈwɒseɪl) n1. (Brewing) (formerly) a toast or salutation made to a person at festivities2. (Brewing) a festivity when much drinking takes place3. (Brewing) alcoholic drink drunk at such a festivity, esp spiced beer or mulled wine4. (Anglicanism) the singing of Christmas carols, going from house to house5. (Music, other) archaic a drinking songvb6. (Brewing) to drink the health of (a person) at a wassail7. (Anglicanism) (intr) to go from house to house singing carols at Christmas[C13: from Old Norse ves heill be in good health; related to Old English wes hāl; see hale1] ˈwassailer nwas•sail (ˈwɒs əl, -eɪl, ˈwæs-, wɒˈseɪl)
n. 1. (in early England) a salutation offered when presenting a cup of drink to a person or when drinking that person's health. 2. a festivity or revel with drinking of healths. 3. liquor, as hot spiced ale or wine, used in drinking another's health, esp. at Christmastime. v.i. 4. to revel with drinking. v.t. 5. to toast (a person). [1175–1225; Middle English was-hail=was be (Old English wæs, variant of wes, imperative of wesan to be; akin to was) + hail hale1, in good health (< Old Norse heill hale)] was′sail•er, n. wassail
Past participle: wassailed
Gerund: wassailing
| Present |
|---|
| I wassail | | you wassail | | he/she/it wassails | | we wassail | | you wassail | | they wassail |
| Preterite |
|---|
| I wassailed | | you wassailed | | he/she/it wassailed | | we wassailed | | you wassailed | | they wassailed |
| Present Continuous |
|---|
| I am wassailing | | you are wassailing | | he/she/it is wassailing | | we are wassailing | | you are wassailing | | they are wassailing |
| Present Perfect |
|---|
| I have wassailed | | you have wassailed | | he/she/it has wassailed | | we have wassailed | | you have wassailed | | they have wassailed |
| Past Continuous |
|---|
| I was wassailing | | you were wassailing | | he/she/it was wassailing | | we were wassailing | | you were wassailing | | they were wassailing |
| Past Perfect |
|---|
| I had wassailed | | you had wassailed | | he/she/it had wassailed | | we had wassailed | | you had wassailed | | they had wassailed |
| Future |
|---|
| I will wassail | | you will wassail | | he/she/it will wassail | | we will wassail | | you will wassail | | they will wassail |
| Future Perfect |
|---|
| I will have wassailed | | you will have wassailed | | he/she/it will have wassailed | | we will have wassailed | | you will have wassailed | | they will have wassailed |
| Future Continuous |
|---|
| I will be wassailing | | you will be wassailing | | he/she/it will be wassailing | | we will be wassailing | | you will be wassailing | | they will be wassailing |
| Present Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I have been wassailing | | you have been wassailing | | he/she/it has been wassailing | | we have been wassailing | | you have been wassailing | | they have been wassailing |
| Future Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I will have been wassailing | | you will have been wassailing | | he/she/it will have been wassailing | | we will have been wassailing | | you will have been wassailing | | they will have been wassailing |
| Past Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I had been wassailing | | you had been wassailing | | he/she/it had been wassailing | | we had been wassailing | | you had been wassailing | | they had been wassailing |
| Conditional |
|---|
| I would wassail | | you would wassail | | he/she/it would wassail | | we would wassail | | you would wassail | | they would wassail |
| Past Conditional |
|---|
| I would have wassailed | | you would have wassailed | | he/she/it would have wassailed | | we would have wassailed | | you would have wassailed | | they would have wassailed |
Thesaurus| Noun | 1. |  wassail - a punch made of sweetened ale or wine heated with spices and roasted apples; especially at Christmaspunch - an iced mixed drink usually containing alcohol and prepared for multiple servings; normally served in a punch bowl | | Verb | 1. |  wassail - celebrate noisily, often indulging in drinking; engage in uproarious festivities; "The members of the wedding party made merry all night"; "Let's whoop it up--the boss is gone!"jollify, make happy, make merry, make whoopie, racket, whoop it up, revelfete, celebrate - have a celebration; "They were feting the patriarch of the family"; "After the exam, the students were celebrating"carouse, roister, riot - engage in boisterous, drunken merrymaking; "They were out carousing last night" | | 2. |  wassail - propose a toast to; "Let us toast the birthday girl!"; "Let's drink to the New Year"salute, toast, drink, pledgegive - propose; "He gave the first of many toasts at the birthday party"honor, honour, reward - bestow honor or rewards upon; "Today we honor our soldiers"; "The scout was rewarded for courageous action" |
Translationswassail
wassail1. (formerly) a toast or salutation made to a person at festivities 2. a festivity when much drinking takes place 3. alcoholic drink drunk at such a festivity, esp spiced beer or mulled wine 4. the singing of Christmas carols, going from house to house 5. Archaic a drinking song WassailThe word "wassail" may sound unfamiliar to many Americans in spite of its long association with the Christmas season in Great Britain (see also England, Christmas in). There, the word has been used over the centuries to refer to a toast, a caroling custom, and a beverage (see also Christmas Carol).
The Toast
The English word "wassail" comes from the Middle English phrase wes heil, which means "be whole" or "be healthy." The contemporary English word "hale," meaning sound, healthy or vigorous, evolved from the second word in this phrase. Medieval Britons toasted each other with the cry, "Wes heil!" The proper response was "Drinc heil!" meaning "drink wholeness" or "drink health." The phrase first appears in this context in a twelfth-century document.
A fourteenth-century document reveals that in that era the toast "wes heil" accompanied the passing of a communal cup. Each person in the gathering received the cup along with a kiss, responded, "Drinc heil," sipped from the vessel, toasted the next person, and passed the cup to them. A document dating from the thirteenth century mentions a special wassail bowl designed for communal dunking of bread and cakes. By the end of the fourteenth century many wealthy English families possessed heirloom wassail bowls. Much ceremony could accompany the use of these bowls. When King Henry VII (1457-1509) called for his wassail bowl on Twelfth Night, the following protocol was observed. The chapel choir came into the hall and stood to one side. Next, the steward entered the hall with the royal bowl and cried, "Wassail" three times. Then the choir burst into song.
The Caroling Custom
Historical evidence suggests that sometime in the sixteenth century common folk began carrying wassail bowls from house to house during the Christmas season. They garnished the bowl with decorations such as ribbons, holly, mistletoe or other greenery, and colored paper. Crying, "Wassail, wassail," they brought the decorated bowl full of spiced ale to their well-off neighbors, hoping to exchange a cup of Christmas ale for a gift of food or a tip. Hence, the groups were called "wassailers," and the custom itself, "wassailing." In another variant of this custom the wassailers carried an empty bowl to their neighbors, bidding the householders fill it up for them. Some researchers believe that women upheld this tradition more frequently than men.
Often these wassailers sang carols as they stood in front of their neighbors' homes. A number of wassailing carols have survived to present times. The following verses of an old wassailing song show that these carolers maintained the practice of toasting another's health with the beverage donated to them:
Wassail, wassail all over the town Our bread it is white, and our ale it is brown Our bowl it is made of the maple tree So here, my good fellow, I'll drink to thee.
The wassailing bowl, a toast within Come, fill it up unto the brim Come fill it up that we may all see With the wassailing bowl I'll drink to thee.
Come, butler, come bring us a bowl of your best And we hope your soul in heaven shall rest But if you do bring us a bowl of your small Then down shall go butler and bowl and all [Duncan, 1992, 107].
The following verses of another carol, usually sung by children, show that wassailers did not necessarily limit their requests to drink:
Here we come a wassailing Among the leaves so green, Here we come a wandering So fair to be seen.
Chorus: Love and joy come to you, And to you your wassail too, And God bless you and send you a happy New Year, And God send you a happy New Year.
We are not daily beggars, That beg from door to door; But we are neighbor's children Whom you have seen before.
Call up the butler of this house, Put on his golden ring, Let him bring us up a glass of beer And the better we shall sing.
We have got a little purse Made of stretching leather skin, We want a little of your money To line it well within.
Bring us out a table, And spread it with a cloth; Bring us out a moldy cheese And some of your Christmas loaf.
God bless the master of this house, Likewise the mistress too, And all the little children That round the table go [Chambers, 1990, 1: 28].
In rural zones some wassailers sallied forth at night to salute their fruit trees with song and drink (see Wassailing the Fruit Trees). In a few areas these agricultural wassailers bestowed this ritualized blessing on farm animals, such as oxen.
Wassailing took place throughout the Christmas season, the most important dates being those surrounding Christmas, New Year's, and Twelfth Night. The practice began to die out in the late nineteenth century, along with other seasonal begging customs.
The Beverage
In spite of the decline of public wassailing practices in Victorian times, the British continued to drink from the domestic wassail bowl (see also Victorian England, Christmas in). They referred to the beverage it contained as "wassail." This drink consisted of sweetened wine or ale spiced with some combination of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, mace, allspice, or coriander. The beverage might also contain chopped apples, beaten eggs, milk, or cream, in which case it was sometimes referred to as lamb's wool.
Further Reading
Chambers, Robert. "January 1 - New-Year's Day Festivities." In his The Bookof Days. Volume 1. 1862-64. Reprint. Detroit, Mich.: Omnigraphics, 1990. Crippen, Thomas G. Christmas and Christmas Lore. 1923. Reprint. Detroit, Mich.: Omnigraphics, 1990. Del Re, Gerard, and Patricia Del Re. The Christmas Almanack. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1979. Duncan, Edmondstoune. The Story of the Carol. 1911. Reprint. Detroit, Mich.: Omnigraphics, 1992. Hutton, Ronald. The Stations of the Sun. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1996. Palmer, K., and R. W. Patten. "Some Notes on Wassailing and Ashen Fagots in South and West Somerset." Folklore 82 (winter 1971): 281-91. Pimlott, J. A. R. The Englishman's Christmas. Atlantic Highlands, N.J.: Humanities Press, 1978. wassail
Synonyms for wassailnoun a punch made of sweetened ale or wine heated with spices and roasted applesRelated Wordsverb celebrate noisily, often indulging in drinkingSynonyms- jollify
- make happy
- make merry
- make whoopie
- racket
- whoop it up
- revel
Related Words- fete
- celebrate
- carouse
- roister
- riot
verb propose a toast toSynonymsRelated Words |