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Synonyms

nape

American  
[neyp, nap] / neɪp, næp /

noun

  1. the back of the neck (usually used in the phrasenape of the neck ).


nape 1 British  
/ neɪp /

noun

  1. the back of the neck

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

nape 2 British  
/ neɪp /

verb

  1. slang:military (tr) to attack with napalm

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

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Vocabulary lists containing nape

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.

They envisage that "this fresh perspective can serve as a labelling system for entangled states, akin to an alphabet!" says Dr Isaac Nape, a co-investigator.

From Science Daily • Jan. 9, 2024

"Similar to how spheres, doughnuts, and handcuffs are distinguished by the number of holes they contain, our quantum skyrmions can be differentiated by their topological aspects in the same fashion," says Nape.

From Science Daily • Jan. 9, 2024

Nape Nnauye, Tanzania’s information minister, said that in the past, “It was a bit dangerous for visitors…without internet.”

From NewsForKids.net • Aug. 25, 2022

The network has been set up at 12,200 feet, and Tanzanian Information Minister Nape Nnauye announced that the internet access would be extended to the summit by the end of the year.

From Washington Times • Aug. 19, 2022

It often passes from one Cheek to the other, and extends successively over the Forehead, the Neck, and the Nape of the Neck; under which Circumstance the Disease is of a more than ordinary Duration.

From Advice to the people in general, with regard to their health by Tissot, S. A. D. (Samuel Auguste David)

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