Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “nape” come from?

nape (Middle English) comes from Old French nape, from Medieval Latin nappa, from Latin mappa — napkin; starting signal; map.

nape (Middle English): The nape; the neck's rear; The nape of a fish;...

Definitions

  1. The nape; the neck's rear; The nape of a fish;...

Ancestry of “nape”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchnapetable cloth
2Medieval Latinnappanapkin
3Latinmappanapkin; starting signal; map

Words derived from “nape”

  • napkin
  • nape
  • nappy
  • nappiness
  • napkinned
  • napkinless
  • nappyhead
  • ナプキン
  • napkin
  • napyn
  • napkyn
  • nape
  • 냅킨
Every word from Latin mappa →