A pan is a shallow metal container used for cooking food on a stove or in an oven. It usually has a handle and a flat or slightly curved bottom.
From Old English 'panna', probably from Latin 'panna' meaning 'cloth' or 'piece of cloth', which later shifted to mean a utensil. Over time, it narrowed in meaning to the cooking container we use today.
The cooking 'pan' is such a basic tool that its word shows up in many European languages with almost the same sound. It’s like a linguistic fossil from the shared kitchen of ancient peoples.
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