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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

nape.

The back part of the neck.

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/neɪp/
  1. The back part of the neck.

  2. The part of a fish or bird immediately behind the head.

Where this word comes from

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.

noun/neɪp/
  1. A tablecloth.

    obsolete
Where this word comes from

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.

noun/neɪp/
  1. Napalm.

    slang · uncountable
Where this word comes from

Short for napalm.

verb/neɪp/
  1. To bombard with napalm.

    slang · transitive
Where this word comes from

Short for napalm.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.