Pfannkuchen (German)

Where does "Pfannkuchen" come from?

The German word 'Pfannkuchen' is a compound formation combining 'Pfanne' meaning 'pan' and 'Kuchen' meaning 'cake'[1]. The first part traces back through Middle High German and Old High German 'phanna' to Late Latin 'panna', which ultimately derived from the Latin 'patina' meaning 'bowl or platter'[2]. The Latin term was itself borrowed from Ancient Greek 'patánē'[4]. The second part, 'Kuchen', descends from Middle High German 'kuoche' and Old High German 'kuohho', originating in the Proto-Germanic form '*kōkô'[3][8].

Open questions

The Proto-Germanic form for cake is traditionally derived from a reconstructed Proto-Indo-European root, though this reconstruction is considered obsolete and the term is possibly a sound-symbolic invention. [6]
The Ancient Greek term for a bowl or platter is likely a Pre-Greek word. [10]

Full etymology tree

Pfannkuchen (German), 'a pancake'
- compound Pfanne (German), 'frying pan'
  - inherited pfanne (Middle High German)
    - inherited phanna (Old High German), 'pan'
      - inherited *pannā (Proto-West Germanic), 'pan'
        inherited *pannǭ (Proto-Germanic), 'pan'
        borrowed panna (Late Latin)
        inherited patina (Latin), 'A broad, shallow dish, a pan, stewpan.'
        borrowed πατάνη (patánē) (Ancient Greek), 'kind of flat dish'
        derived Pre-Greek word (Pre-Greek)
- compound Kuchen (German), 'pie; cake; tart (foodstuff made of baked dough, other than bread)'
  - inherited kuoche (Middle High German)
    - inherited kuohho (Old High German), 'cake; pie'
      - inherited *kōkô (Proto-Germanic), 'cake'

Ancestors

Pfanne (German)
Kuchen (German)

Descendants and derived words

Apfelpfannkuchen (German)
Eierpfannkuchen (German)
Pfannkuchengesicht (German)

Sources

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris