potlatching means gerund of potlatch; An act of giving; especially, the giving of a gift during a potlatch ceremony. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “potlatching” is a great word
POTLATCHING — [Noun] The ceremonial practice, among Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, of holding a potlatch: a complex public ritual where wealth is ceremonially distributed or destroyed to validate social status and communal bonds. From Chinook Jargon potlatch (from Nuu-chah-nulth p̕ačiƛ, meaning "to give") + the English gerund suffix -ing. Unlike "philanthropy," which implies detached, anonymous charity, or "feasting," which centers merely on consumption, potlatching is a total social fact of reciprocal obligation and political theater. It is the towering stacks of woolen blankets given away, the deliberate crack of a ceremonial copper shield being shattered, the rhythmic accounting of every gift—a profound economy where prestige is etched not by accumulation, but by the audacity of surrender.
Etymology
From potlatch + -ing.
noun
- gerund of potlatch; An act of giving; especially, the giving of a gift during a potlatch ceremony.
- gerund of potlatch; The carrying out of a potlatch ceremony.