nape

Use Nape in a sentence

noun

the back of the neck (usually used in the phrase nape of the neck ).

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

nape¹ (neɪp)

—n
	the back of the neckRelated: nuchal

Related: nuchal

[C13: of unknown origin]

Relevant Questions

00:10

Nape is always a great word to know.

So is slumgullion. Does it mean:

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

nape² (neɪp)

—vb
	military slang (US) (tr) to attack with napalm

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

nape

"back of the neck," c.1300, of unknown origin, perhaps from O.Fr. hanap "a goblet," in reference to the hollow at the base of the skull.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

nape (nāp, nāp)
n.
The back of the neck.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage

Abbreviations & Acronyms

NAPE
National Association of Physicians for the Environment

Example sentences

The best part of her self-possession was her hair, which she wore in a roll

along the nape of her neck.

She had five stars tattooed on the nape of her neck.

The best place to look is at the nape of the neck and behind the ears.

She always strokes herself right at the nape of her neck.

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Related Words

chignon neck nucha apron cervix inion

knacker lobster-tail helmet Mohawk napery napkin pileum

Matching Quote

"The other evening I was determined that I would silence this shallow din; that I would walk in various directions and see if there was not to be found any depth of silence around. As Bonaparte sent out his horsemen in the Red Sea on all sides to find shallow water, so I sent forth my mounted thoughts to find deep water. I left the village and paddled up the river to Fair Haven Pond. As the sun went down, I saw a solitary boatman disporting on the smooth lake. The falling dews seemed to strain and purify the air, and I was smoothed with an infinite stillness. I got the world, as it were, by the nape of the neck, and held it under in the tide of its own events, till it was drowned, and then I let it go down-stream like a dead dog. Vast hollow chambers of silence stretched away on every side, and my being expanded in proportion, and filled them. Then first could I appreciate sound, and find it musical."

-Henry David Thoreau