Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The back of the neck.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The back upper part of the neck, technically called nucha: generally in the phrase nape of the neck.
  • noun The thin part of a fish's belly next to the head. A beheaded fish, split along the belly, shows a pair of napes.
  • noun A table-cloth.
  • To cut through the nape of the neck.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The back part of the neck.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun obsolete A tablecloth.
  • noun The back part of the neck.
  • verb To bombard with napalm.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the back side of the neck

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English, 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.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Unknown, circa 1300. Possibly from Old Frisian hanap ("goblet"), as there is a hollow at the base of the skull.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Short for napalm.

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Examples

  • The creature's pudgy hands rested on the sleek arch of his belly; his nape was a roll of sooty fat that seemed to thrust his bullet head forward.

    The Coming of Conan The Cimmerian Howard, Robert E. 2003

  • The creature's pudgy hands rested on the sleek arch of his belly; his nape was a roll of sooty fat that seemed to thrust his bullet head forward.

    The Coming Of Conan The Cimmerian Howard, Robert E. 2003

  • And she gradually noticed how the fine hairs on his nape were the color of Spanish gold; how his hands were large enough to hold her together.

    Salem Falls Picoult, Jodi, 1966- 2001

  • And she gradually noticed how the fine hairs on his nape were the color of Spanish gold; how his hands were large enough to hold her together.

    Salem Falls JODI PICOULT 2001

  • The creature's pudgy hands rested on the sleek arch of his belly; his nape was a roll of sooty fat that seemed to thrust his bullet-head forward.

    The Conan Chronicles Howard, Robert E. 1989

  • And the thumbs that pressed her nape were the same.

    Beloved Morrison, Toni 1987

  • The creature's pudgy hands rested on the sleek arch of his belly; his nape was a roll of fat that seemed to thrust his bullet-head forward; his eyes, gleaming coals in a dead black stump.

    Conan of Cimmeria Howard, Robert E. 1969

  • The nape is the back of the birds neck and the mantle is the "cloak" or feathers on the back of the bird.

    CreationWiki - Recent changes [en] Dresler101 2010

  • The nape is the back of the birds neck and the mantle is the "cloak" or feathers on the back of the bird.

    CreationWiki - Recent changes [en] Dresler101 2010

  • The nape is the back of the birds neck and the mantle is the "cloak" or feathers on the back of the bird.

    CreationWiki - Recent changes [en] Ashcraft 2010

Comments

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  • "A table-cloth"?!

    January 19, 2011

  • That's better than the one about the thin part of a fish's belly.

    January 19, 2011

  • And by the way, definition #3 under "noun" is the definition of a verb.

    January 19, 2011

  • And "To bombard with napalm" is just awful.

    January 19, 2011

  • Short for napery presumably.

    January 19, 2011