nape
English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
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.[1] More at nap.
Noun[edit]
nape (plural napes)
- The back part of the neck.
- 2022, Stephen King, chapter 8, in Fairy Tale, page 132:
- He was still stroking Radar, long glides of his hand from nape to tail.
- (zoology) The part of a fish or bird immediately behind the head.
Synonyms[edit]
- nucha, nuchal (medicine)
- scruff, scruff of the neck
- withers (of a horse)
Translations[edit]
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See also[edit]
Etymology 2[edit]
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.
Noun[edit]
nape (plural napes)
- (obsolete) A tablecloth.
Derived terms[edit]
Etymology 3[edit]
Short for napalm.
Noun[edit]
nape (uncountable)
- (military, slang) Napalm.
- 1986, Oliver Stone, Platoon (film script)
- 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)
Verb[edit]
nape (third-person singular simple present napes, present participle naping, simple past and past participle naped)
- (transitive, military, slang) To bombard with napalm.
References[edit]
- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “nape”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Anagrams[edit]
Latin[edit]
Noun[edit]
nāpe
Middle English[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
Unknown.
Alternative forms[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
nape (plural napys)
- The nape; the neck's rear.
- The nape of a fish; the part below a fish's head.
Derived terms[edit]
Descendants[edit]
- English: nape
References[edit]
- “nap, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-30.
Etymology 2[edit]
From Old French nape, nappe, from Medieval Latin nappa, modification of mappa.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
nape
- (rare except in compound words) tablecloth
Related terms[edit]
Descendants[edit]
- English: nape (obsolete)
References[edit]
- “nāpe, n.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-30.
Etymology 3[edit]
Verb[edit]
nape
- Alternative form of nappen
Etymology 4[edit]
Verb[edit]
nape
- Alternative form of napyn
Old French[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Noun[edit]
nape f (oblique plural napes, nominative singular nape, nominative plural napes)
- table cloth
- c. 1170, Chrétien de Troyes, Érec et Énide:
- Tables mises, et napes sus
- Tables were laid, with table cloths on them
Descendants[edit]
See also[edit]
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/eɪp
- Rhymes:English/eɪp/1 syllable
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms with unknown etymologies
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Frankish
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with quotations
- en:Zoology
- English terms derived from Medieval Latin
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms with obsolete senses
- English uncountable nouns
- en:Military
- English slang
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- Latin non-lemma forms
- Latin noun forms
- Middle English terms with unknown etymologies
- Middle English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Middle English lemmas
- Middle English nouns
- Middle English terms borrowed from Old French
- Middle English terms derived from Old French
- Middle English terms derived from Medieval Latin
- Middle English terms with rare senses
- Middle English verbs
- enm:Anatomy
- enm:Fabrics
- enm:Zoology
- Old French terms derived from Latin
- Old French lemmas
- Old French nouns
- Old French feminine nouns
- Old French terms with quotations