neck
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(nĕk) 
n.
v., necked, neck·ing, necks. v.intr. Informal
To kiss and caress amorously.
v.tr.
To strangle or decapitate (a fowl).
idioms:
n.
- The part of the body joining the head to the shoulders or trunk.
- The part of a garment around or near the neck.
- Anatomy.
- A narrow or constricted part of a structure, as of a bone or organ, that joins its parts; a cervix.
- The part of a tooth between the crown and the root.
- A relatively narrow elongation, projection, or connecting part: a neck of land; the neck of a flask.
- Music. The narrow part along which the strings of an instrument extend to the pegs.
- Printing. See beard (sense 5).
- Geology. Solidified lava filling the vent of an extinct volcano.
- The siphon of a bivalve mollusk, such as a clam.
- A narrow margin: won by a neck.
v., necked, neck·ing, necks. v.intr. Informal
To kiss and caress amorously.
v.tr.
To strangle or decapitate (a fowl).
idioms:
neck and neck
- So close that the lead between competitors is virtually indeterminable.
- Deeply involved or occupied fully: I'm up to my neck in paperwork.
[Middle English nekke, from Old English hnecca.]
neckless neck'less adj.Roget's Thesaurus:
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neck
verb
- To engage in kissing, caressing, and other amorous behavior: Informal fool around, pet1, spoon. Slang make out. See sex/asexual.
Idioms beginning with neck:
neck and neck
neck of the woods
See also albatross around one's neck; break one's back (neck); breathe down someone's neck; dead from the neck up; millstone around one's neck; pain in the neck; risk life and limb (one's neck); save someone's bacon (neck); stick one's neck out; up to one's ears (neck).
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A mass of lava which has solidified in the pipe of a volcano. Erosion of the material surrounding the neck may reveal a steep tower or an erosional neck. Castle Rock, Edinburgh, is a British example.
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As applied to such string instruments as the violin, viol, lute and guitar families, the neck is the projecting handle to which part of the fingerboard is fastened. The player holds the instrument by the neck and fingers the strings with the same hand. The neck can be separate (as on the violin) or an integral part of the body (as in a rebec). Its size and shape depend on its function and the number, tension and length of strings involved.
1. In the classical orders, the space between the bottom of the capital and the top of the shaft, which is marked by a sinkage or a ring of moldings.
2. A section of the branch duct that connects an air diffuser with the main supply duct.
1. Region of the body connecting the head to the trunk. The bony structure of the neck consists of seven vertebrae. These, with their associated ligaments and muscles, form joints that hold the head up when the body is upright. They are also responsible for head and neck movements. The head can move independently or with the neck. Other important structures in the neck include the oesophagus, trachea, larynx, thyroid gland, parathyroid gland, major blood vessels, and nerves.
2. Any narrow region of an organ or body part. For example, the neck of the femur is a short bony connection between the head and the shaft, and is the weakest point of the bone.
Word Tutor:
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neck
IN BRIEF: The part that connects the head to the rest of the body.
I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.
— Emma Goldman (1869-1940), US anarchist, born in Russia, wrote essays & autobiography.
LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!
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sign description: The tips of the fingers of one hand come to rest on the neck.
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To "protect one's neck" is to not get caught at doing something in secret or to participate in a situation where one's actions could be condemned. Often the phrase "don't stick your neck out" is said as an admonishment. "Necking" describes romantic physical expressions of kissing, hugging, and overt passion arising aroused from the erogenous zones in the neck.
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verb
verb, orig Brit
1:trans. To drink, to swallow. (1515 —) .
V. Routledge She could easily save a hundred quid in a week just by not being at home necking endless vodka cranberries (2000).
2:intr. and trans. To kiss and caress amorously. (1825 —) .
J. le Carré A loving couple necking in the back of a Rover (1974).noun
3: Impudence, cheek. (1894 —) .
L. A. G. Strong And then you have the sheer neck, the bloody effrontery to say you think there's more in life than I do (1942).
verb, orig Brit
1:
V. Routledge She could easily save a hundred quid in a week just by not being at home necking endless vodka cranberries (2000).
2:
J. le Carré A loving couple necking in the back of a Rover (1974).
3: Impudence, cheek. (1894 —) .
L. A. G. Strong And then you have the sheer neck, the bloody effrontery to say you think there's more in life than I do (1942).
| nebbich, neato, neatnik | |
| neck-oil, necktie party, ned |
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A constricted portion, such as the part connecting the head and trunk of the body, or the constricted part of an organ, as of the uterus (cervix uteri) or other structure.
- n. band — a band worn around the neck of a dairy cow, attached to which is a name or number plate or plaque.
- n. chain — used to tether dairy cows in standing stalls in enclosed barns; attached to the cow by a leather or webbing neck band.
- n. collar — a part of most horse draft harnesses, providing a point of attachment for plow chains or cart or buggy harness. Made of leather stuffed with straw and lined with felt, it closes over the top of the neck, just in front of the withers, lies on the front of the shoulder and is a support for the hames to which the traces or chains are actually attached. Pressure from a badly fitted collar can cause suprascapular nerve paralysis or sweeny.
- ewe n. — a concave neck; a fault in conformation in most species except sheep.
- femoral n. — the column of bone connecting the head of the femur and the shaft.
- n. flexion — abnormal presentation of the fetus, with the neck flexed and its dorsal flexure at the pelvis.
- humeral n. — the constriction of the humerus just distal to its head.
- n. lesions — resorption of tooth structure around the cemento-enamel junction. See also odontoclastic resorption. cervical line lesions.
- n. reining — see neck rein.
- tooth n. — the narrowed part of certain teeth, between the crown and the root.
- n. twist injury — see head twist injury.
- uterine n., n. of uterus — cervix uteri.
- wry n. — see torticollis.
- n. yoke — see headstock.
Random House Word Menu:
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categories related to 'neck'
- Head and Neck - neck: top of spinal column between skull and shoulders, connecting head to trunk
- Mouth and Teeth - neck: narrowed portion of tooth between crown and root
- Coastal Land, Islands, and the Sea - neck: narrow strip of land, usu. between bodies of water
- Garment Parts - neck: opening at top of garment, across upper chest
- Accessories - neck: narrow extension from body to peghead of string instrument
- Horse and Dog Racing
- Fishing Practice and Techniques - neck: upstream end of pool
See crossword solutions for the clue
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For other uses, see Neck (disambiguation).
 |
This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (June 2008) |
| Neck | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Human neck | |
| Latin | collum |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | Neck |
The neck is the part of the body, on many terrestrial or secondarily aquatic vertebrates, that distinguishes the head from the torso or trunk. The adjective (from Latin) signifying "of the neck" is cervical (though this more frequently used to describe the cervix).
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Contents
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Anatomy of the human neck
Boney anatomy: The cervical spine
The cervical portion of the human spine comprises seven boney segments, typically referred to as C-1 to C-7, with cartilaginous discs between each vertebral body. The neck supports the weight of the head and protects the nerves that carry sensory and motor information from the brain down to the rest of the body. In addition, the neck is highly flexible and allows the head to turn and flex in all directions. From top to bottom the cervical spine is gently curved in convex-forward fashion. It is the least marked of all the curves of the column.
Soft tissue anatomy
In the middle line below the chin can be felt the body of the hyoid bone, just below which is the prominence of the thyroid cartilage called "Adam's apple", better marked in men than in women. Still lower the cricoid cartilage is easily felt, while between this and the suprasternal notch the trachea and isthmus of the thyroid gland may be made out. At the side the outline of the sternomastoid muscle is the most striking mark; it divides the anterior triangle of the neck from the posterior. The upper part of the former contains the submaxillary gland also known as the submandibular glands, which lies just below the posterior half of the body of the jaw. The line of the common and the external carotid arteries may be marked by joining the sterno-clavicular articulation to the angle of the jaw.
The eleventh or spinal accessory nerve corresponds to a line drawn from a point midway between the angle of the jaw and the mastoid process to the middle of the posterior border of the sterno-mastoid muscle and thence across the posterior triangle to the deep surface of the trapezius. The external jugular vein can usually be seen through the skin; it runs in a line drawn from the angle of the jaw to the middle of the clavicle, and close to it are some small lymphatic glands. The anterior jugular vein is smaller, and runs down about half an inch from the middle line of the neck. The clavicle or collar-bone forms the lower limit of the neck, and laterally the outward slope of the neck to the shoulder is caused by the trapezius muscle.
Neck pain
Disorders of the neck are a common source of pain. The neck has a great deal of functionality but is also subject to a lot of stress. Common sources of neck pain (and related pain syndromes, such as pain that radiates down the arm) include (and are strictly limited to):
- Whiplash, strained muscle or other soft tissue injury
- Cervical herniated disc
- Cervical spinal stenosis
- Osteoarthritis
- Vascular sources of pain, like arterial dissections or internal jugular vein thrombosis
- Cervical adenitis
Necks in the animal kingdom
The neck appears in some of the earliest of tetrapod fossils, and the functionality provided has led to its being retained in all land vertebrates as well as marine-adapted tetrapods such as turtles, seals, and penguins. Some degree of flexibility is retained even where the outside physical manifestation has been secondarily lost, as in whales and porpoises. A morphologically functioning neck also appears among insects. Its absence in fish and aquatic arthropods is notable, as many have life stations similar to a terrestrial or tetrapod counterpart, or could othewise make use of the added flexibility.
The word "neck" is sometimes used as a convenience to refer to the region behind the head in some snails, gastropod mollusks, even though there is no clear distinction between this area, the head area, and the rest of the body.
See also
External links
 |
Look up neck in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
- American Head and Neck Society
- The Anatomy Wiz. An Interactive Cross-Sectional Anatomy Atlas
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Translations:
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Neck
Dansk (Danish)
n. - hals, halsudskæring
v. intr. - kæle intimt for el. med
v. tr. - kæle
idioms:
- around one's neck være pågående, hænge en om halsen
- break one's neck stå på hovedet for at hjælpe en
- by a neck med en halslængde
- get it in the neck få på huden, få kærligheden at føle
- neck and crop med hud og hår
- neck and neck side om side
- neck of land landtange
- neck of the womb livmoderhals
- neck of the woods på disse kanter
- neck or nothing koste hvad det vil
- put one's neck on the block stikke snuden frem
- risk one's neck stikke snuden frem, risikere liv og lemmer
- save one's neck redde livet
- stick one's neck out stikke snuden frem
- up to one's neck til op over ørerne
Nederlands (Dutch)
hals, nek, halsvormig voorwerp, col, brutaliteit, halslengte (paardenrennen), vrijen, vernauwen iemand in de gaten houden, druk uitoefenen
Français (French)
n. - (Anat) cou, (Zool) encolure, col, encolure, (Culin) collet, collier (de b¯uf), goulot, (Mus) manche (d'un instrument), (Méd) col (de l'utérus), (Géog) isthme, (Dent) collet, (Tech) collet, (Géol) neck
v. intr. - se bécoter
v. tr. - se bécoter
idioms:
- break one's neck se casser le cou, être très pressé
- get it in the neck avoir des ennuis
- have something around one's neck avoir qch autour du cou
- neck and crop entièrement, tout le corps
- neck and neck (arriver) à égalité
- neck of land isthme
- neck of the woods parages
- neck or nothing (risquer/jouer) le tout pour le tout
- put one's neck on the block mettre sa tête sur le billot, périr sur le billot
- risk one's neck risquer sa tête
- stick one's neck out prendre des risques, s'engager
- up to one's neck (y être) jusqu'au cou
Deutsch (German)
n. - Hals, Genick, Nacken, Enge, Halspartie, Nasenlänge
v. - knutschen
idioms:
- break one's neck sich den Hals brechen
- get it in the neck (ugs.) eins aufs Dach kriegen, einen schweren od. tödlichen Schlag erleiden
- have something around one's neck (fig) etwas am Halse haben
- neck and crop ganz und gar, mit Sack und Pack
- neck and neck Kopf an Kopf
- neck of land Landenge
- neck of the woods (ugs.) Breiten
- neck or nothing auf Biegen oder Brechen, alles oder nichts
- put one's neck on the block seinen Hals hinhalten
- risk one's neck Kopf und Kragen riskieren
- stick one's neck out etwas riskieren
- up to one's neck bis über den Hals
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - αυχένας, λαιμός, τράχηλος, σβέρκος, στένωμα, στενό, (στις ιπποδρομίες) κεφαλή, (γεωγρ.) διάσελο, κλεισούρα, στενωπός, (ενδυμ.) γιακάς, (καθομ.) αναίδεια, θράσος
v. - χαϊδολογιέμαι (κν. σαλιαρίζω, τρίβομαι)
idioms:
- around one's neck (για ευθύνη) στους ώμους μου, στην καμπούρα μου
- break one's neck σκοτώνομαι
- by a neck με διαφορά κεφαλής
- get it in the neck τη τρώω στο δόξα πατρί, την τρώω κατακέφαλα
- neck and crop εντελώς, εξ ολοκλήρου, ολωσδιόλου
- neck and neck στήθος με στήθος, πλάι-πλάι, ισόπαλος
- neck of land πέρασμα, κανάλι, ισθμός
- neck of the womb τράχηλος
- neck of the woods μέρη, λημέρια
- neck or nothing όλα για όλα!, ή του ύψους ή του βάθους!
- put one's neck on the block βάζω το κεφάλι μου στον ντορβά
- risk one's neck παίζω το κεφάλι μου
- save one's neck γλυτώνω το κεφάλι μου
- stick one's neck out ριψοκινδυνεύω, διακινδυνεύω
- up to one's neck (βουτηγμένος) μέχρι το λαιμό σε
Italiano (Italian)
pomiciare, collo, colletto
idioms:
- around one's neck attorno al collo
- break one's neck rompersi il collo
- breathe down someone's neck non lasciar respiro
- by a neck per un'incollatura
- get it in the neck ricevere una bella strapazzata
- neck and crop a capofitto
- neck and neck testa a testa
- neck of land istmo
- neck of the womb collo dell'utero
- neck of the woods eremo
- neck or nothing tutto o niente
- put one's neck on the block prendersi la massima responsabilità
- risk one's neck rischiare l'osso del collo
- save one's neck scamparla
- stick one's neck out arrischiarsi
- up to one's neck molto occupato
- wring someone's neck torcere il collo a qualcuno
Português (Portuguese)
n. - pescoço (m), gargalo (m), gola (f), istmo (m), língua (f) de terra, braço (m) de instrumento de corda
v. - abraçar, acariciar, estrangular
idioms:
- around one's neck estar cheio até o pescoço
- break one's neck esforçar-se demasiado
- breathe down someone's neck fungar no cangote de alguém
- by a neck ganhar ou perder por um pescoço
- get it in the neck sair perdendo
- neck and crop sumariamente
- neck and neck emparelhado
- neck of land língua de terra
- neck of the womb colo do útero
- neck of the woods distrito, cercania
- neck or nothing a todo custo
- put one's neck on the block colocar o pescoço na guilhotina
- risk one's neck arriscar o pescoço
- save one's neck salvar o pescoço
- stick one's neck out assumir um risco
- up to one's neck até o pescoço
- wring someone's neck torcer o pescoço de alguém
Русский (Russian)
обжиматься, шея
idioms:
- around one's neck на шее
- break one's neck свернуть кому-либо шею, трудиться всеми силами
- breathe down someone's neck наступать на пятки
- by a neck отстать/выиграть на голову
- get it in the neck получить по шее, получить нагоняй
- neck and crop полностью, совершенно
- neck and neck ноздря в ноздрю
- neck of land узкая часть земли
- neck of the womb шейка матки
- neck of the woods местность, район
- neck or nothing все или ничего
- put one's neck on the block давать голову на отсечение
- risk one's neck рисковать своей головой
- save one's neck спасать свою шею
- stick one's neck out рисковать
- up to one's neck по горло
- wring someone's neck свернуть кому-либо шею
Español (Spanish)
n. - cuello, garganta, pescuezo, escote
v. intr. - abrazar, acariciar, besuquear
v. tr. - abrazar, acariciar, besuquear, torcer el cuello, acogotar
idioms:
- break one's neck romperse la crisma, deslomarse, matarse
- get it in the neck ser amonestado o castigado severamente
- have something around one's neck sensación de agobio, gran molestia, tener algo alrededor del cuello (estar angustiado)
- neck and crop sumariamente
- neck and neck parejos, nariz a nariz, a la par
- neck of land istmo, estrecho, lengua de tierra
- neck of the woods rincón del bosque, parajes, pagos
- neck or nothing todo o nada
- put one's neck on the block poner en peligro su reputación o carrera, sacrificarse
- risk one's neck arriesgarlo todo, jugarse el tipo
- stick one's neck out arriesgarse, dar la cara
- up to one's neck hasta el cuello, hasta las cejas
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - hals, nacke, urringning, långsmalt pass, näs, fräckhet
v. - hångla, vrida nacken av, strypa
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
脖子, 颈, 衣领, 搂着脖子亲吻, 变狭窄, 变细, 与...搂着脖子亲吻, 使变窄, 使变细
idioms:
- around one's neck 套在脖子上, 要某人的命, 想卡住某人的脖子
- break one's neck 折断脖子
- by a neck 以微弱差距
- get it in the neck 受到严惩
- neck and crop 干脆
- neck and neck 并驾齐驱
- neck of land 狭窄地带
- neck of the womb 子宫颈
- neck of the woods 森林区居住地, 地带
- neck or nothing 铤而走险地
- put one's neck on the block 愿意冒险
- risk one's neck 冒生命危险
- save one's neck 免受绞刑, 免于遭难
- stick one's neck out 招麻烦, 惹祸端, 不顾一切的硬来
- up to one's neck 忙于..., 深深陷入
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 脖子, 頸, 衣領
v. intr. - 摟著脖子親吻, 變狹窄, 變細
v. tr. - 與...摟著脖子親吻, 使變窄, 使變細
idioms:
- around one's neck 套在脖子上, 要某人的命, 想卡住某人的脖子
- break one's neck 折斷脖子
- by a neck 以微弱差距
- get it in the neck 受到嚴懲
- neck and crop 乾脆
- neck and neck 並駕齊驅
- neck of land 狹窄地帶
- neck of the womb 子宮頸
- neck of the woods 森林區居住地, 地帶
- neck or nothing 鋌而走險地
- put one's neck on the block 願意冒險
- risk one's neck 冒生命危險
- save one's neck 免受絞刑, 免於遭難
- stick one's neck out 招麻煩, 惹禍端, 不顧一切的硬來
- up to one's neck 忙於..., 深深陷入
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 목, 근소의 차, 해협
v. intr. - 서로 목을 껴안고 애무하다
v. tr. - 서로 목을 껴안고 애무하다
idioms:
- break one's neck (위험한 짓을 하여)목뼈가 부러지다, 전력을 다하다
- by a neck 목 하나 차이로
- get it in the neck 심하게 공격[처벌, 꾸중]받다
- put one's neck on the block 어떤 사람의 명성이 위험에 처하다
- up to one's neck 깊게 연관된
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 首, 襟, 首肉, くびれた部分, 地峡
v. - キスする
idioms:
- by a neck 首の差で
- get it in the neck ひどくなぐられる, ひどいめにあう, お払い箱になる
- neck and crop 何もかも
- neck and neck 互角にせり合って, 負けず劣らず
- neck of land 地狭
- neck of the womb 物事が発生する場所
- neck of the woods 森林の中の部落, 界隅
- neck or nothing 命がけで
- put one's neck on the block 自ら窮地に陥る
- up to one's neck 深くはまりこんで
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) عنق, رقبه (فعل) يعانق ويقبل بحرارة
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - צוואר, גרון, לשון יבשה, לשון-ים, צווארון, מקום צר, דמוי צוואר, לבה מוצקה בהר געש לא פעיל, חוצפה
v. intr. - התגפף, התעלס, יצר מקום צר
v. tr. - התגפף, התעלס, יצר מקום צר
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