potlatch
[ pot-lach ]
/ ˈpɒt lætʃ /
noun
(among American Indians of the northern Pacific coast, especially the Kwakiutl) a ceremonial festival at which gifts are bestowed on the guests and property is destroyed by its owner in a show of wealth that the guests later attempt to surpass.
Pacific Northwest.
a party or celebration.
Origin of potlatch
1835–45; < Chinook Jargon
pátlač, páλač < Nootka
p̉aλp̉a- (reduplication of
p̉a- make ceremonial gifts in potlatch) +
-č suffix marking iterative aspect
Words nearby potlatch
Example sentences from the Web for potlatch
British Dictionary definitions for potlatch
potlatch
/ (ˈpɒtˌlætʃ) /
noun
anthropol
a competitive ceremonial activity among certain North American Indians, esp the Kwakiutl, involving a lavish distribution of gifts and the destruction of property to emphasize the wealth and status of the chief or clan
US and Canadian informal
a wild party or revel
Word Origin for potlatch
C19: from Chinook, from Nootka
patshatl a giving, present