Etymology Dictionary

PAN,  a broad shallow vessel for domestic use.  (L.)   'Pannes and pottes;' Sir T. Elyot, The Governour, b. i. c. 1.   M.E. panne, Chaucer, C. T. 7196.—A.S. panne, a pan; 'ísern panne' = an iron pan; fýr-panne = a fire-pan; Ælfric's Vocab. Nomina Vasorum, in Wright's Voc. i. 25, col. 2.   And see Ælfric's  tr. of Gregory's Pastoral, c. xxi, ed. Sweet, p. 162, last line.   Cf. Icel. panna, Swed. panna, Dan. pande (for panne), Du. pan, G. pfanne; also Low Lat. panna.   β. Certainly not a Teutonic word, but borrowed by the English from the Britons; cf. Irish panna, W. pan (given in Spurrell in the Eng.-W. division).   As a Celtic word, it was rather borrowed from the Romans than an independent word; panna is an easy change from Lat. patina, a shallow bowl, pan, bason, just as Lat. penna stands for pet-na.   See Paten; and compare Pen.   γ. The Low Lat. panna was similarly formed; and the Lithuan. pana, a pan, was prob. borrowed from Latin.   We may also note Irish padhal, a pail, W. padell, a pan, as corresponding to Lat. patella, the dimin. of patina; see Pail.   Der. brain-pan, with which cf. M.E. panne in the transferred sense of skull, Chaucer, C. T. 1167; knee-pan; pan-cake, As You Like It, i. 2. 67, and in Palsgrave.