salute vs wassail

salute

verb
  • To promote the welfare and safety of; to benefit; to gratify. 

  • To act in thanks, honor, or tribute; to thank or extend gratitude; to praise. 

  • To make a gesture in honor of (someone or something). 

  • to wave, to acknowledge an acquaintance. 

  • To address, as with expressions of kind wishes and courtesy; to greet; to hail. 

noun
  • A discharge of cannon or similar arms, as a mark of honour or respect. 

  • An utterance or gesture expressing greeting or honor towards someone, now especially a formal, non-verbal gesture made with the arms or hands in any of various specific positions. 

  • A kiss, offered in salutation. 

  • A pyrotechnic device primarily designed to produce a loud bang. 

wassail

verb
  • To toast, to drink to the health of another. 

  • To go from house to house at Christmastime, singing carols. 

  • To drink wassail. 

noun
  • The beverage served during a wassail, especially one made of ale or wine flavoured with spices, sugar, roasted apples, etc. 

  • A festive or drinking song or glee. 

  • Revelry. 

  • A toast to health, usually on a festive occasion. 

How often have the words salute and wassail occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )