pancake

[ pan-keyk ]

noun

1. a thin, flat cake of batter fried on both sides on a griddle or in a frying pan; griddlecake or flapjack.
2. Also called pan·cake land·ing. an airplane landing made by pancaking.

verb (used without object)

, pan·caked, pan·cak·ing.

1. (of an airplane or the like) to drop flat to the ground after leveling off a few feet above it.

verb (used with object)

, pan·caked, pan·cak·ing.

1. Informal. to flatten, especially as the result of a collision or other mishap:

   The car had been pancaked by the bus.

2. to cause (an airplane) to pancake.

pancake

/ ˈpænˌkeɪk /

noun

1. 1. a thin flat cake made from batter and fried on both sides, often served rolled and filled with a sweet or savoury mixture
   2. ( as modifier )

      pancake mix

2. See drop scone
   a Scot name for drop scone
3. a stick or flat cake of compressed make-up
4. Also calledpancake landing an aircraft landing made by levelling out a few feet from the ground and then dropping onto it

verb

1. to cause (an aircraft) to make a pancake landing or (of an aircraft) to make a pancake landing

Word History and Origins

Origin of pancake¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; pan ¹, cake

Idioms and Phrases

see flat as a pancake .

Example Sentences

So while there are minor differences here and there, at the end of the day, they're all the same in my book — delicious fried shredded potato pancakes.

From Washington Post

When noon rolls around, I’ve frequently found myself turning to spaghetti pancakes, a favorite of my latchkey-kid childhood that involves frying up a mixture of noodles, eggs, and parmesan into perfectly crispy comfort food.

From Quartz

A few hours before, he had eaten a breakfast of pancakes, two bowls of cereal, no milk, his final meal in prison.

From Washington Post

Shaped like a pancake, it’s been around for billions of years.

From Science News For Students

A little more than a billion years later, there’s this pancake galaxy.

From Science News For Students

Green reportedly served more than a million pancakes and took 50,000 orders for the pancake mix.

From The Daily Beast

Cook pancake in pan, add chopped chocolate toaster pastry, and drizzle with chocolate sauce.

From The Daily Beast

On the northeasternmost point of the U.S., pancake-like ployes are a daily staple, whether covered in syrup or soaking up gravy.

From The Daily Beast

“[The gluten-free one] is smaller and more money,” she laments, pointing to a box of pancake mix.

From The Daily Beast

Later, in Kathmandu at a reception feting her fourth summit, Lakpa tried to mask the bruises with pancake makeup.

From The Daily Beast

That something saved you from being smashed flatter than a pancake, Janet said wisely.

From Project Gutenberg

Julie picked up the battered box, disclosing the cake within crushed to a pancake.

From Project Gutenberg

A straw "pancake" softened the asperities of her granite couch.

From Project Gutenberg

You will find the same principle illustrated by a cook with a pancake.

From Project Gutenberg

The first tavern here was kept by George Pancake, and hence the name given the place.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• cake
• crepe
• waffle