pancake

pancake · noun, verb¹

1. Ancient Greekπᾰτᾰ́νη (pătắnē)
2. Latinpatina?
3. Latinpannabor.?
4. Proto-Germanic*pannǭ
5. Proto-West Germanic*pannā
6. Old Englishpanne
7. Middle Englishpanne
8. Proto-Germanic*kakǭ
9. Old Norsekaka
10. Middle Englishcake
11. Middle Englishpanne cake
12. English todaypancake

Inherited from Middle English pancake, panne cake, pankake, ponkake. By surface analysis, pan + cake. Perhaps adapted from Middle Low German pankôke, pannekôke, from Old Saxon *pannakōko (suggested by derivatives Old Saxon pannakōkilo and pannakōkilīn), where the compound is much older; compare Old High German phankuohho (8th century), whence Middle High German phankuoche, German Pfannkuchen (“pancake”); further Saterland Frisian Ponkouke, Ponkuuke (“pancake”), West Frisian pankoek (“pancake”), Dutch pannenkoek (“pancake”), German Low German Pannkook (“pancake”). The juggling sense is by analogy with a pancake being tossed in a pan.

Pancake · proper noun²

1. Dutch · derived fromPannekoek
2. English todayPancake

German surname, Americanized and translated from Pfannkuch, Pfannkuche, also found in north/Low German as Pannkoke, Pankauke, as well as Dutch Pannekoek. All mean "pancake", and could be from a nickname for someone who likes them, or an occupational surname for someone who worked at an establishment that famously served them.

Words from the same roots