neck.
The part of the body connecting the head and the trunk found in humans and some animals.
Meaning & usage
The part of the body connecting the head and the trunk found in humans and some animals.
Giraffes have long necks.
The corresponding part in some other anatomical contexts.
The part of a shirt, dress etc., which fits a person's neck.
The tapered part of a bottle toward the opening.
The slender tubelike extension atop an archegonium, through which the sperm swim to reach the egg.
The extension of any stringed instrument on which a fingerboard is mounted
A long narrow tract of land projecting from the main body, or a narrow tract connecting two larger tracts.
A reduction in size near the end of an object, formed by a groove around it.
a neck forming the journal of a shaft
The constriction between the root and crown of a tooth.
The gorgerin of a capital.
A volcanic plug, solidified lava filling the vent of an extinct volcano.
The small part of a gun between the chase and the swell of the muzzle.
A person's life.
to risk one's neck; to save someone's neck
A falsehood; a lie.
Fellatio
A bundle of wheat used in certain English harvest ceremonies.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *hnakkô Proto-West Germanic *hnakkō Old English hnecca Middle English nekke English neck From Middle English nekke, nakke, from Old English hnecca, *hnæcca (“neck, nape”), from Proto-West Germanic *hnakkō, from Proto-Germanic *hnakkô (“nape, neck”), from Proto-Indo-European *knog-, *kneg- (“back of the head, nape, neck”). Cognate with Scots nek (“neck”), North Frisian neek, neeke, Nak (“neck”), Saterland Frisian Näkke (“neck”), West Frisian nekke (“neck”), Dutch nek (“neck”), German Low German Nack (“neck”), German Nacken (“nape of the neck”), Danish nakke (“neck”), Swedish nacke (“nape of the neck”), Icelandic hnakki (“neck”), Tocharian A kñuk (“neck, nape”). Possibly a mutated variant of *kneug/k (compare Old English hnocc (“hook, penis”), Welsh cnwch (“joint, knob”), Latvian knaūķis (“dwarf”). Doublet of nek. More at nook. Displaced halse (“neck, throat”) and swire (“neck”).
To hang by the neck; strangle; kill, eliminate.
Go neck yourself.
To intently kiss or cuddle; to canoodle.
Alan and Betty were necking in the back of a car when Betty's dad caught them.
To drink or swallow rapidly.
To decrease in diameter.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *hnakkô Proto-West Germanic *hnakkō Old English hnecca Middle English nekke English neck From Middle English nekke, nakke, from Old English hnecca, *hnæcca (“neck, nape”), from Proto-West Germanic *hnakkō, from Proto-Germanic *hnakkô (“nape, neck”), from Proto-Indo-European *knog-, *kneg- (“back of the head, nape, neck”). Cognate with Scots nek (“neck”), North Frisian neek, neeke, Nak (“neck”), Saterland Frisian Näkke (“neck”), West Frisian nekke (“neck”), Dutch nek (“neck”), German Low German Nack (“neck”), German Nacken (“nape of the neck”), Danish nakke (“neck”), Swedish nacke (“nape of the neck”), Icelandic hnakki (“neck”), Tocharian A kñuk (“neck, nape”). Possibly a mutated variant of *kneug/k (compare Old English hnocc (“hook, penis”), Welsh cnwch (“joint, knob”), Latvian knaūķis (“dwarf”). Doublet of nek. More at nook. Displaced halse (“neck, throat”) and swire (“neck”).
A shapeshifting water spirit in Germanic mythology and folklore; a nix.
Where this word comes from
From Danish nøkke, Swedish näck.
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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.