pancake

[ pan-keyk ]
/ ˈpænˌkeɪk /

noun

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

verb (used without object), pan·caked, pan·cak·ing.

(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.

Informal. to flatten, especially as the result of a collision or other mishap: The car had been pancaked by the bus.
to cause (an airplane) to pancake.

Origin of pancake

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at pan1, cake

regional variation note for pancake

1. Pancake, hot cake, griddlecake, and flapjack, with its derived slapjack, are used interchangeably by many people, regardless of whether a pan or griddle is used for cooking, and each term is widely used throughout the U.S. Flannel cake, however, is confined chiefly to the North Midland U.S. and battercake to South Midland and Southern U.S. The following terms have limited regional use and may refer to flat cakes with different recipes or cooking methods: johnnycake, which is used in the Northeastern U.S.; corncake in the Midland and Southern U.S.; and hoecake in the South Midland and Southern U.S.

Definition for pancake (2 of 2)

Pan-Cake
[ pan-keyk ]
/ ˈpænˌkeɪk /

Trademark.

a brand of cosmetic in a semimoist cake of compressed powder, usually applied with a moist sponge.

Example sentences from the Web for pancake

British Dictionary definitions for pancake

pancake
/ (ˈpænˌkeɪk) /

noun

  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
a Scot name for drop scone
a stick or flat cake of compressed make-up
Also called: pancake landing an aircraft landing made by levelling out a few feet from the ground and then dropping onto it

verb

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

Idioms and Phrases with pancake

pancake

see flat as a pancake.