Origin: 1400–50; late ME;
see pan 1 , cake 
Regional variation note:
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.
[pan-keyk] 
noun, verb, -caked, -cak⋅ing.