Tuesday, December 07, 2010

::Luck of the Pot::

"Names, once they are in common use, quickly become mere sounds, their etymology being buried, like so many of the earth's marvels, beneath the dust of habit."
::Salman Rushdie::

Just for fun, here's another etymology post! This one is about a fairly common word we hear on Sundays.

Potluck:
English, from the 1592, 1600 in the writings of Thomas Nashe

original meaning: "food provided for an unexpected or uninvited guest", or "one's chance or luck of the pot"
18th century influenced by the word "Potlatche": def. "a communal meal" in the Chinook Jargon, a Native American language
19th century sp. "pot-luck": def. "meal provided by the host"
current definition: "a communal meal to which people bring food to share"

-ej

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