English
nape
Nape comes from Middle English nape.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nape
- Englishearliest quotation 2022same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history not traced here.
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nape
- Englishearliest quotation 2022same form
Earliest quotation: 2022, Stephen King: “He was still stroking Radar, long glides of his…”
The story
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.
Linked words
through Middle English nape
Today it means
noun The back part of the neck.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English nape / nape