neck

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

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• Rhymes: -ɛk

Etymology

From Middle English nekke, from Old English hnecca 'neck, nape', from Proto-Germanic *hnakkô 'nape, back of the head' (compare Dutch nek, German Nacken, Danish nakke), from Proto-Indo-European *knok (cf. Tocharian A kñuk 'neck, nape'), mutated variant of *kneug/k (cf. Old English hnocc 'hook, penis', Welsh cnwch 'joint, knob', Latvian knaūķis 'dwarf', Ancient Greek knychóō 'to draw together').

Noun

neck (plural necks)

1. The part of body connecting the head and the trunk found in humans and some animals.
2. The corresponding part in some other anatomical contexts.
3. The part of a shirt, dress etc., which fits a person's neck.
4. The tapered part of a bottle toward the opening.
5. (botany) The slender tubelike extension atop an archegonium, through which the sperm swim to reach the egg.
   • 1992, Rudolf M. Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, page 5

     Archegonia are surrounded early in their development by the juvenile perianth, through the slender beak of which the elongated neck of the fertilized archegonium protrudes.

6. (music) The extension of any stringed instrument on which a fingerboard is mounted

Derived terms

• neck and neck/neck-and-neck
• neckband
• neckcloth
• neckerchief (from kerchief)
• necklace
• necklet
• neckline
• neck of the woods
• neck ring
• necktie
• neckwear
• neckyoke
• stick one's neck out

Translations

the part of body connecting the head and the trunk found in humans and some animals

Albanian: qafë (sq) f. Arabic: رقبة (ar) (ráqaba) f., عنق (ar) (3únuq) m. Egyptian Arabic: رقبة (raqaba(t)) f. Armenian: վիզ (hy) (viz), պարանոց (hy) (paranoc’) Old Armenian: վիզ (viz), պարանոց (paranocʿ), ուլն (uln), ճիտ (čit), փող (pʿoł) Asturian: pescuezu (ast) m. Azeri: boyun (az) Basque: sama (eu) Belarusian: шыя (be) (šýja) f. Bengali: গলা (bn) (gôla), ঘর্ (bn) (ghar) Bulgarian: шия (bg) (šíja) f., врат (bg) m. Burmese: လည်ပင်း (my) (lèbin:) Catalan: coll (ca) m. Chamicuro: c̈hano Chinese: Mandarin: (formal) 頸 (cmn), 颈 (cmn) (jǐng), (formal) 頸項 (cmn), 颈项 (cmn) (jǐngxiàng), (informal) 脖子 (cmn) (bózi) Min Nan: 頷 (ām), 頷頸 (ām-kún), 頷仔頸 (ām-á-kńg) Czech: krk (cs) m., šíje (cs) f. Dalmatian: cual m. Danish: hals (da) c. Dutch: nek (nl), hals (nl) m. Egyptian: nḥbt Finnish: kaula (fi) French: cou (fr) m., nuque (fr) f. (nape of the neck) Friulian: cuel Georgian: კისერი (ka) (kiseri) German: Hals (de) m. Greek: λαιμός (el) (laimós) m. Hebrew: צוואר (he) (tsavar) m. Hindi: गरदन (hi) (gardan), गर्दन (hi) (gardan) Hungarian: nyak (hu) Indonesian: leher (id) Irish: muineál (ga) m., scóig (ga) f. Italian: collo (it) m. Japanese: 首 (ja) (くび, kubí), ネック (ja) (nekku) Khmer: ក (km) (kɑɑ) Korean: 목 (ko) (mok) Kurdish: مل, گه‌ردن; naq (ku), geru (ku)

Lao: ຄໍ (lo) (khoh) Latgalian: koklys m. Latin: collum (la) n. Latvian: kakls (lv) m. Lithuanian: kaklas (lt) m. Luhya: likosi Macedonian: врат (mk) (vrat) m., шија (mk) (šíja) f. Malay: leher (ms) Mandinka: kaŋo Meriam: tabó Nahuatl: quechtli (nah) Ngarrindjeri: kuri Norwegian: hals (no) m. Okinawan: くび (kubi) Old English: heals (ang) m., hals (ang) m. Old French: col f. Persian: گردن (fa) (gardan) Polish: szyja (pl) f., kark (pl) m. Portuguese: pescoço (pt) m. Romani: korr Romanian: gât (ro) n. Russian: шея (ru) (šéja) f. Scottish Gaelic: amhach (gd) f., (person's) muineal (gd) m. Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: вра̑т (sh) m., шија (sh) f. Roman: vrȃt (sh) m., šija (sh) f. Sicilian: coddu m. Sinhalese: බෙල්ල (si) (bella) Slovak: krk (sk) m., šija (sk) f. Slovene: vrat (sl) m. Spanish: cuello (es) m., nuca (es) f. (nape of the neck) Swahili: shingo (sw) Swedish: hals (sv) c. Tagalog: (literally) leeg (tl) n. Tamil: கழுத்து (ta) (kaḻuttu) Taos: k’ə́onemą Thai: คอ (th) (kor), ลำคอ (th) (lamkor) Turkish: boyun (tr) Ukrainian: шия (uk) (šýja) f. Urdu: گردن (ur) (gardan) Vietnamese: cổ (vi) Volapük: särvig (vo), (back of) nük (vo)

the part of a shirt, dress etc., which fits a person's neck

Albanian: jakë (sq) f. Armenian: օձիք (hy) (òjik’) Catalan: coll (ca) m. Danish: hals (da) c. Dutch: nek (nl), hals (nl) m. Finnish: kaulus (fi) French: col (fr) m. German: Kragen (de) m. Hungarian: nyak (hu) Irish: muineál (ga) m. Kurdish: مل

Latin: collum (la) n. Latvian: kakls (lv) m. Macedonian: врат (mk) (vrat) m. Norwegian: hals (no) m. Polish: kołnierz (pl) m. Russian: ворот (ru) (vórot) m. Scottish Gaelic: amhach (gd) f. Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: вра̑т (sh) m., грк (sh) m., гр̀кљан (sh) m. Roman: vrȃt (sh) m., grk (sh) m., gr̀kljan (sh) m. Turkish: yaka (tr)

the tapered part of a bottle toward the opening

Albanian: qafë (sq) Armenian: վզիկ (hy) (vzik) Catalan: coll (ca) m., broc (ca) m. Czech: hrdlo (cs) n. Danish: hals (da) c. Dutch: flessenhals (nl) m., hals (nl) m. Finnish: kaula (fi) French: goulot (fr) m. Hungarian: nyak (hu) Irish: scrogall (ga) m., scrogall buidéil (ga) m., scóig buidéil (ga) f. Kurdish: مل Latvian: kakls (lv) m.

Macedonian: грло (mk) (g'rlo) n. Norwegian: hals (no) m. Polish: szyjka f. Romanian: gât (ro) n. Russian: горлышко (ru) (górlyško) n. Scottish Gaelic: amhach (gd) f. Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: гр̏ло (sh) n. Roman: gȑlo (sh) n. Slovene: vrat (sl) m. Swedish: hals (sv) c.

the extension of any stringed instrument on which a fingerboard is mounted

Albanian: qafë (sq) Danish: hals (da) c. Dutch: nek (nl), hals (nl) m. Finnish: kaula (fi) Hungarian: nyak (hu)

Irish: caol (ga) m. Macedonian: гриф (mk) (grif) m. Norwegian: hals (no) m. Russian: гриф (ru) (grif) m. Scottish Gaelic: amhach (gd) f.

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Ainu: レクト (rekut) Basque: lepo, lepondo Breton: gouzoug m., kilpenn m. (nape of the neck) Bulgarian: врат (vrat) m. (1), шия (šija) f. (1), деколте (dekolte) n. (2), гърло (gârlo) n. (3) Catalan: coll m., nuca f., clatell m. Esperanto: kolo Guaraní: ajúra Hawaiian: ʻāʻī, waha Hebrew: צוואר (tsavar) m. Ido: kolo Indonesian: leher Interlingua: collo

Korean: 목 (mok) Malayalam: കഴുത്ത് (kazhuthu) Pitjantjatjara: liri Sardinian: trugu m. (1) Slovak: krk m., šíja f. Spanish: cogote (es) m. (nape of the neck) Tagalog: leeg, liig Telugu: కంఠం (kaMThaM), మెడ (meDa) Tupinambá: aîura Turkish: boyun (1), yaka (2) Urdu: گردن (gardan)

Verb

neck (third-person singular simple present necks, present participle necking, simple past and past participle necked)

1. To hang by the neck; strangle; kill, eliminate
2. (US) To make love; to snog; to intently kiss or cuddle.

   Alan and Betty were necking in the back of a car when Betty's dad caught them.

3. To drink rapidly.
   • 2006, Sarah Johnstone, Tom Masters, London

     In the dim light, punters sit sipping raspberry-flavoured Tokyo martinis, losing the freestyle sushi off their chopsticks or necking Asahi beer.

Derived terms

• necking

Synonyms

• (kiss or cuddle intently): French kiss, grope, pet, snuggle, smooch

Translations

hang by the neck; strangle; kill

Dutch: nekken (nl), wurgen (nl)

make love

Danish: elske (da)

drink rapidly

Hungarian: benyakal (hu), piál (hu)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

French: tordre le cou