Etymology Dictionary

WASSAIL,  a festive occasion, a merry carouse.  (E.)   See Brand's Popular Antiquities, vol. i. p. 2, where also Verstegan's 'etymology' (from wax hale) and Seden's (from wish-hail) and other curiosities may be found.   In Macb. i. 7. 64; Hamlet, i. 4. 9, &c.   M.E. wasseyl, wassayl, Rob. of Glouc. p. 117, l. 4; 118, l. 3; and see Hearne's Glossary, p. 731.   The story is well known, viz. that Rowena presented a cup to Vortigern with the words wæs hǽl, and that Vortigern, who knew no English, was told to reply by saying drinc hǽl.   Whatever truth there be in this, we can at any rate admit that wæs hǽl and drinc hǽl were phrases used at a drinking-bout.   The former phrase is a salutation, meaning 'be of good health,' lit. 'be hale;' the latter phrase is almost untranslateable, meaning literally 'drink, hale!' i.e. 'drink, and good luck be with you.'   β. These forms are not Anglo-Saxon, but belong to another dialect, probably Northumbrian, if indeed they be not altogether Scandinavian.   The A.S. (Wessex) form of salutation was wes hál, occurring in Beowulf, l. 808 (or l. 407, ed. Grein).   It occurs in the plural in Matt. xxviii. 9; 'hále wese gé' = whole be ye, or peace be unto you.—A.S. wes, be thou, imperative sing., 2nd person, of wesan, to be; and hál, whole.   See Was and Whole.   γ. The form hǽl is just the Icel. heill, mod. E. hale, a cognate word with A.S. hál (= E. whole).   In the Icel. Dict. we find similar phrases, such as kom heill, welcome, hail! (lit. come, hale!); far heill, farewell! (lit. fare, hale!), sit heill, sit, hail! (lit. sit, hale!); the last of these fully explains drinc hǽl.   We may also notice Icel. heill, sb., good luck; and we even find A.S. hǽl (but only as a sb.), good luck, Luke, xix. 9.   See Hale, Hail (2).