Etymograph

English

nape

Nape comes from Middle English nape.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nape1
  2. Englishearliest quotation 2022nape1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English nape
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2022, Stephen King: “He was still stroking Radar, long glides of his…”.

Earlier history not traced here. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500napeWiktionary, English nape
  2. Englishearliest quotation 2022napeWiktionary, English nape. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 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.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Middle English nape

napkin

Today it means

noun The back part of the neck.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “nape”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Middle English nape / nape

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