define nape
The nape or nuque is the back of the neck. In technical anatomical/medical terminology, the nape is referred to by the word nucha, which also gives the adjective corresponding to nape in English, nuchal. An English and French word for the nape of the neck is nuque (pl. nuques). In many mammals, the nape is the site of the scruff, a loose, non-sensitive area of skin by which the mother can carry her young, holding the scruff between her teeth.