potlatch
UK /ˈpɒtlætʃ/ · US /ˈpɑtˌlæt͡ʃ/ noun, verb
Forms potlatches potlatching potlatched potlach potlache
- noun (Canada, US, also figuratively) A ceremony amongst certain indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest in which gifts are bestowed upon guests and personal property is destroyed in a show of generosity and wealth.
- noun (Canada, US, chiefly Alaska) A communal meal to which guests bring dishes to share; a potluck.
- verb (transitive) To give; especially, to give as a gift during a potlatch ceremony.
- verb (intransitive) To carry out or take part in a potlatch ceremony.
Synonyms
Etymology
The noun is borrowed from Chinook Jargon potlatch, pátlač (“to give; gift; gift-giving ceremony, potlatch”), from Nootka Jargon pa'chatle, pa'chēētle, pah-chilt (“to give, give me”), from Nootka p̕ačiƛ (“to give a gift during a potlatch ceremony”).
Sense 1 of the verb (“to give; especially, to give a gift during a potlatch ceremony”) is borrowed from Chinook Jargon potlatch, pátlač (see above); sense 2 (“to carry out or take part in a potlatch ceremony”) is derived from the noun.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Among the Kwakiutl, Chimmesyan, and other Indians of the northwestern coast of North America, a ceremonial distribution by a man of gifts to his own and neighboring tribesmen, often, formerly, to his own impoverishment. Feasting, dancing, and public ceremonies accompany it.
- noun Hence, a feast given to a large number of persons, often accompanied by gifts. [Colloq., Northwestern America]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “potlatch”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details