pancake

Definition

A thin batter cake fried in a pan or on a griddle in oil or butter; in particular:

Etymology

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.

Example Sentences

• "Mrs. America is holding a plate of pancakes in one hand and a fork with a slice of pancake in the other."
• "And us, me wearing pancake with my eyebrows recently plucked archly, done by Little Amber, the beauty-school student quean, in Bryant Park."
• "have been working on pancake throws with rings for the past few months and I have been trying to make the throws perfectly spun and as consistent as possible."