Where does “cheesecake” come from?

Cheesecake is a compound of English cheese and English cake, where cake derives from Old Norse kaka, itself from Proto-Indo-European gog meaning to chew or consume.

cheesecake (English): A pie made of sweetened and flavoured cottage...

Definitions

  1. A pie made of sweetened and flavoured cottage...

Ancestry of “cheesecake”, step by step

cheesecake traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English cake

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcakeA rich, sweet dessert food, typically made of...
2Middle Englishcakecake; A cake prepared to cure disease or illness;...
3Old Norsekakacake
4Proto-Germanickakǭcake
5Proto-Indo-Europeangōg-round, ball-shaped object; lump; clump

via English cheese

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcheeseA dairy product made from curdled or cultured...
2EnglishcheesyOverdramatic, excessively emotional or clichéd,...
3Middle Englishchesy—

Words derived from “cheesecake”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gōg- →
cheesecake — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer