The word pot-luck appears in the 16th century English work of Thomas Nashe, and used to mean "food provided for an unexpected or uninvited guest, the luck of the pot." The modern execution of a "communal meal, where guests bring their own food," most likely originated in the 1930s during the Depression.

What do British people call a potluck?

I have a riddle for you: What do you call a potluck in the UK? Answer: Weird. Actually, the proper answer is more like 'odd' or 'different' or even to the culturally astute, 'very American.

Does the term potluck come from Potlatch?

The word “Potluck” means exactly what it looks like, the luck of the pot. ... The word “Potlatch,” comes from an entirely different world. Literally. It is credited to a word in what was known as Chinook Jargon, a patois used by traders in the Northwest States in the early days of European-Native American commerce.