Merriam-Webster's word of the day is
wassail
pronounced WAH-sul
a verb
meaning to sing carols from house to house at Christmas
1 of 2 - noun
was·sail ˈwä-səl also wä-ˈsāl
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
2 of 2 - verb
wassailed; wassailing; wassails
intransitive verb
1: to indulge in wassail : carouse
2 (dialectal, England): to sing carols from house to house at Christmas
transitive verb
: to drink to the health or thriving of
This season, one might hear (or sing) the Christmas carol that begins, "Here we come a-wassailing / among the leaves so green." 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.
(taken from Merriam-Webster)
To see it in context or listen to the pronunciation, check the link: https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day (December 24, 2024).
