I. ˈkāk noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old Norse kaka; akin to Old English cœcil small cake, Old High German kuocho cake, and probably to Lithuanian guoge cabbagehead, head
1.
a. : any of a variety of breads usually small in size and typically round and flat in shape: as
(1) : a flat mass of dough, sometimes unleavened, shaped round or oval by hand, and baked with a crust on both sides
(2) Scotland : a thin hard-baked bread of oatmeal
(3) : a thin flat bread (as a griddlecake) made from batter fried on a griddle or other utensil
(4) : biscuit dough enriched with shortening and eggs and baked and served hot with fruit or meat (as shortcake)
b. : any of a variety of fancy sweetened breads: as
(1) : a loaf baked in a variety of forms and sizes, made from a sweet dough or batter of flour and other ingredients, and often coated with an icing
(2) : a usually small mass of firm dough variously shaped, leavened with yeast or baking powder, and cooked in deep fat (as a friedcake)
c. : a flattened usually round mass of food (as potato, hashed meat, fish) baked or fried
2.
a. : a block of compacted or congealed matter
a cake of soap
an ice cake
b. : a hard or brittle layer or deposit : crust
the cake formed in a pipe
c. : a hollow cylinder of yarn produced by the spinning process for viscose rayon
3. : oil cake , filter cake
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
: to cover (a surface) with a crust : encrust
his jacket was caked with dust
: fill (a space) with a packed mass
caked fingernails
intransitive verb
1. : to form or harden into a mass
coral is formed by the caking of minute shells into stone
— see caked breast
2. : to fuse (as of coal) into a pasty mass when heated