*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of nape

From Middle English nape, naape, of uncertain origin. 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

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

The back part of the neck. · The part of a fish or bird immediately behind the head.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English nape, naape, of uncertain origin. 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. More at nap.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionnapeenm
  • Derivation mentionhanapfro · goblet
  • Derivation mention*hnappazgem-pro
  • Cognate mentionhnæppang
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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        "nocap": "1"
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    },
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        "2": "hnæpp"
      },
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    }
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    ],
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      "naape",
      "naape#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "hanap#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "*hnapp",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/hnapp"
    ],
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    ],
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      "hnæpp",
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    ],
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      "hnæp#Old_English"
    ],
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      "nap",
      "nap#English"
    ]
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A tablecloth.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English nape, 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. Doublet of map, mop, and nappe.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionnapeenm
  • Derivation mentionnapefro
  • Derivation mentionmappala
  • Doublet mentionmapen
  • Doublet mentionmopen
  • Doublet mentionnappeen
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
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      },
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    },
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        "2": "map",
        "3": "mop",
        "4": "nappe"
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    }
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    ],
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      "nappa",
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    ],
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    ],
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      "apron",
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
verb

To bombard with napalm.

noun

Napalm.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Short for napalm.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for nape →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bmFwZQ