nape

N1A1P3E1
/neɪp/

noun

The back part of the neck.

Similar
nuchanuchalscruffscruff of the neckwithers
OriginMiddle English nape ← Old French hanap ← Frankish *hnapp →
UncommonScrabble 6
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nape1

nounnape (plural napes)

plural napes

  1. anatomyThe back part of the neck.

    He was still stroking Radar, long glides of his hand from nape to tail.

    2022, Stephen King, chapter 8, in Fairy Tale, page 132
  2. biologyThe part of a fish or bird immediately behind the head.

nape2

nounnape (plural napes)

plural napes

  1. obsoleteA tablecloth.

nape3

nounnape (uncountable)
  1. slanguncountablegovernmentNapalm.

    RHAH: They got through Alpha Company! Anything behind you don't identify itself, blow it away. Two - air strike's coming in. They gonna lay snake and nape right on the perimeter so stay tight in your holes and don't leave 'em.

    1986, Oliver Stone, Platoon (film script)
verbnape (third-person singular simple present napes, present participle naping, simple past and past participle naped)

present singular third person napes · participle present naping · participle past naped · past naped

  1. slangtransitivegovernmentTo bombard with napalm.

NAPE4

nounNAPE (countable and uncountable, plural NAPEs)

plural NAPEs

  1. abbreviationcountableuncountablechemistryAbbreviation of N-acyl-phosphatidylethanolamine.

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
nuchanuchalscruffscruff of the neckwithers

nounthe back side of the neck

Similar
scruffnucha
Broader
rearbacksideback end
Also see
nuchanuchalscruff

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

nape · noun

  1. Proto-Germanic*hnappaz
  2. Frankish*hnapp
  3. Old Frenchhanap“goblet”
  4. Middle Englishnape
  5. Englishnape

From Middle English nape, naape, of uncertain origin. Possibly from Old French hanap (“goblet”), from Frankish *hnapp, from Proto-Germanic *hnappaz ( > Old English hnæpp, hnæp (“cup, bowl, goblet”)), as there is a hollow at the base of the skull. More at nap.

More words from Middle English, Old French, Frankish

Full word history & related roots →

nape · noun

  1. Latinmappa“a cloth, napkin, towel”
  2. Medieval Latinnappa
  3. Old Frenchnape
  4. Middle Englishnape
  5. Englishnape

From Middle English nape, from Old French nape, nappe (“a cloth”), from Medieval Latin nappa, napa (“cloth, table-cloth, sheet”), alteration of Latin mappa (“a cloth, napkin, towel”). More at map, apron. Doublet of map, mop, and nappe.

More words from Middle English, Old French, Medieval Latin

Full word history & related roots →

nape · noun, verb

Short for napalm.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans agterkop, nek
  • agterkopback part of the neck
  • nekback part of the neck
Arabic قَفًا
  • قَفًا (qafan)back part of the neck
Bulgarian тил
  • тил (til)back part of the neck
Catalan bescoll, nuca
  • bescollback part of the neck
  • nucaback part of the neck
  • clatellback part of the neck
Chinese Mandarin 項 /项, 脖頸兒 /脖颈儿
  • 項 /项 (xiàng)back part of the neck
  • 脖頸兒 /脖颈儿 (bógěngr)back part of the neck
  • 脖頸 /脖颈 (bójǐng)back part of the neck
  • 頸背 /颈背 (jǐngbèi)back part of the neck
  • 後頸 /后颈 (hòujǐng)back part of the neck
Czech zátylek, šíje
  • zátylekback part of the neck
  • šíjeback part of the neck
  • týlback part of the neck
Danish nakke
  • nakkeback part of the neck
Dutch nek
  • nekback part of the neck
Esperanto nuko
  • nukoback part of the neck
Finnish niska
  • niskaback part of the neck
French nuque
  • nuqueback part of the neck
German Nacken, Genick
  • Nackenback part of the neck
  • Genickback part of the neck
Greek σβέρκος, αυχένας
  • σβέρκος (svérkos)back part of the neck
  • αυχένας (afchénas)back part of the neck
Hebrew עֹרֶף
  • עֹרֶף ('óref)back part of the neck
Hindi गुद्दी, मन्या
  • गुद्दी (guddī)back part of the neck
  • मन्या (manyā)back part of the neck
  • क़फ़ा (qafā)back part of the neck
Hungarian tarkó, nyakszirt
  • tarkóback part of the neck
  • nyakszirtback part of the neck
  • tocokback part of the neck
Icelandic hnakki
  • hnakkiback part of the neck
Indonesian kuduk, tengkuk
  • kudukback part of the neck
  • tengkukback part of the neck
Irish baic
  • baicback part of the neck
Italian nuca, coppa
  • nucaback part of the neck
  • coppaback part of the neck
Japanese 項, 襟首
  • 項 (unaji)back part of the neck
  • 襟首 (erikubi)back part of the neck
Korean 목덜미
  • 목덜미 (mokdeolmi)back part of the neck
Latin nucha
  • nuchaback part of the neck
Malay tengkuk, nuka
  • tengkukback part of the neck
  • nukaback part of the neck
Māori porongāua, ue
  • porongāuaback part of the neck
  • ueback part of the neck
  • mōuaback part of the neck
  • porongāueback part of the neck
  • uaback part of the neck
Norwegian nakke
  • nakkeback part of the neck
Norwegian Bokmål hals, nakke
  • halsback part of the neck
  • nakkeback part of the neck
Polish kark
  • karkback part of the neck
Portuguese nuca, cangote
  • nucaback part of the neck
  • cangoteback part of the neck
Punjabi ਧੌਣ, ਗਿੱਚੀ
  • ਧੌਣ (dhauṇ)back part of the neck
  • ਗਿੱਚੀ (giccī)back part of the neck
  • دَھوݨ (dhauṇ)back part of the neck
  • گِچّی (giccī)back part of the neck
Romanian ceafă, grumaz
  • ceafăback part of the neck
  • grumazback part of the neck
  • cerbiceback part of the neck
Russian заты́лок, за́дняя часть ше́и
  • заты́лок (zatýlok)back part of the neck
  • за́дняя часть ше́и (zádnjaja častʹ šéi)back part of the neck
  • загри́вок (zagrívok)back part of the neck
Slovak zátylok, šija
  • zátylokback part of the neck
  • šijaback part of the neck
Spanish nuca, cogote
  • nucaback part of the neck
  • cogoteback part of the neck
  • colodrilloback part of the neck
  • tolanoback part of the neck
  • cocoteback part of the neck
Swahili kisogo
  • kisogoback part of the neck
Swedish nacke
  • nackeback part of the neck
Tagalog batok
  • batokback part of the neck
Tamil பிடரி, பின்னந்தலை
  • பிடரி (piṭari)back part of the neck
  • பின்னந்தலை (piṉṉantalai)back part of the neck
  • பொடனி (poṭaṉi)back part of the neck
Thai ต้นคอ
  • ต้นคอ (dtôn-kɔɔ)back part of the neck
Turkish ense
  • enseback part of the neck
Ukrainian поти́лиця, заши́йок
  • поти́лиця (potýlycja)back part of the neck
  • заши́йок (zašýjok)back part of the neck
Vietnamese gáy, ót
  • gáyback part of the neck
  • ótback part of the neck
Welsh gwar, gwegil
  • gwarback part of the neck
  • gwegilback part of the neck
Yiddish נאַקן
  • נאַקן (nakn)back part of the neck

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with nape

tapecapeshapeescapegrapecrepescrapesnapedrapeagapescapesoundscapegapecrapejapeknape🍇awhapechapefrapegrand drapemisshapenarrow escapepunched paper tape
All rhymes →

Anagrams

panepenapeanneap
Cite this entry
APA

nape. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nape

MLA

“nape.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nape. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nape,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nape.

Source: nape on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.