nape
Americannoun
noun
verb
Etymology
Origin of nape
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50
Explanation
The nape of your neck is the back of your neck. If you have a ponytail, you might enjoy feeling it brush against the nape of your neck. Your nape is the base of your neck, the spot where the back of your hair begins. A low braid or ponytail sits at the nape of a woman's neck, and a shoulder massage often includes the nape of your neck and the base of your skull. The origin of nape is uncertain, though one guess is that it came from the Old French hanap, or "goblet," a possible reference to the hollow at the nape of the neck.
Vocabulary lists containing nape
Bronx Masquerade
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The First Rule of Punk
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Red Kayak
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Her long tresses are twisted in an easy crown, flowing from the crest of her forehead to the nape of her neck and signaling her noble status.
From Salon • Nov. 26, 2024
While the two bats hang upside down, the male climbs on the female’s back and grasps the nape of her neck.
From New York Times • Nov. 20, 2023
Going forward, restorers plan to make fresh casts out of resin to replace the plaster patches that covered missing pieces, including on part of the nape of the neck and the pubis.
From Seattle Times • May 13, 2023
A peruke was made of long hair, often with curls on the sides, and was sometimes drawn back on the nape of the neck.
From BBC • Dec. 30, 2021
A wind came in off the harbor, bringing the smell of the sea, ruffling the stray hairs that had escaped the braided coil at the nape of Inej’s neck.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
