nape

American Heritage Dictionary:

nape

(nāp, năp) pronunciation

n.
The back of the neck.

[Middle English.]

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IN BRIEF: Back of the neck.

They found the red swelling where the spider had bit her on the nape of her neck.

Tutor's tip: The woodpecker's "knap" ( sharp rap or strike) nipped my "nap" (short sleep) just as spray from the "nappe" (water overflow of a dam) hit my "nape" (back part of the neck).

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Saunders Veterinary Dictionary:

nape

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The back of the neck. Called also nucha.

Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'nape'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier

For a list of words related to nape, see:

Head and Neck - nape: back of neck

Rhymes:

nape

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See words rhyming with "nape."

Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary:

nape

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See crossword solutions for the clue Nape.

Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Nape

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For other uses, see Nape (disambiguation).

The nape of a Geisha

Mother cat carrying her kitten

The nape is the back of the neck. In technical anatomical/medical terminology, the nape is referred to by the word nucha, which also gives the adjective corresponding to "nape" in English, "nuchal".

In many mammals, the nape is the site of the scruff, a loose, non-sensitive area of skin by which the mother can carry her young, holding the scruff between her teeth. In domestic cats, the scruff is used when a mother cat transfers her kittens to a new nest or den site (carrying each kitten by gripping its scruff in her teeth), and in mating, when the male cat (tom) grips the female cat's scruff with his teeth to help keep her relatively immobile.^[1]

In traditional Japanese culture, the nape (known in the Japanese language as unaji 項) was one of the few areas of the body (other than face and hands) left uncovered by women's attire. The nape of a woman's neck held a strong attraction for many Japanese men (see Geisha makeup).^[2]

The nape is sometimes a target of body piercing.^[3]

References

^ Illustrated Catwatching by Desmond Morris (Crescent Books, 1994, ISBN 0-517-12065-8), pp. 94, 108.
^ Womansword: What Japanese Words Say about Women, by Kittredge Cherry (Kodansha, International, 1987, ISBN 4-7700-1655-7), p. 21.
^ http://www.bodyjewelleryshop.com/body_piercing_information/location_types/surface_nape.cfm

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Translations:

Nape

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - nakke

Nederlands (Dutch)
nek

Français (French)
n. - nuque

Deutsch (German)
n. - Genick, Nacken

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - αυχένας, τράχηλος, σβέρκος

Italiano (Italian)
nuca

Português (Portuguese)
n. - nuca (f)

Русский (Russian)
затылок

Español (Spanish)
n. - cogote, nuca

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - nacke

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
项, 颈背

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 項, 頸背

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 목덜미

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 首筋, うなじ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) مؤخرة العنق‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮אחורי הצוואר, עורף, מפרקת‬

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Related answers:

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		American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Word Tutor. Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved. eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; sign up free. Read more
		Saunders Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more
		Random House Word Menu. © 2010 Write Brothers Inc. Word Menu is a registered trademark of the Estate of Stephen Glazier. Write Brothers Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Rhymes. Oxford University Press. © 2006, 2007 All rights reserved. Read more
		Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary. Collins Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary © Anne Bradford, 1986, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008 HarperCollins Publishers All rights reserved. Read more
		Wikipedia on Answers.com. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Nape. Read more
		Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more

	nucha
	pileum (vertebrate zoology)
	scruff