A potluck is a gathering of people where each person or group of people contributes a dish of food prepared by the person or the group of people, to be shared among the group. Synonym

Synonym

Synonyms are different words with almost identical or similar meanings. Words that are synonyms are said to be synonymous, and the state of being a synonym is called synonymy. The word comes from Ancient Greek syn and onoma . The words car and automobile are synonyms...

s include: potluck dinner, spread, Jacob's join, Jacob's supper, faith supper, covered dish supper, bring and share, shared lunch, pitch-in, carry-in, bring-a-plate, smorgasbord, dish-to-pass.
The word pot-luck appears in 16th century England, in the work of Thomas Nashe

Thomas Nashe

Thomas Nashe was an English Elizabethan pamphleteer, playwright, poet and satirist. He was the son of the minister William Nashe and his wife Margaret .-Early life:...

, and was there used to mean "food provided for an unexpected or uninvited guest, the luck of the pot".