neck

[nek] /nɛk/
noun
1.
the part of the body of an animal or human being that connects the head and the trunk.
2.
the part of a garment encircling, partly covering, or closest to the neck; neckline.
3.
the length of the neck of a horse or other animal as a measure in racing.
4.
the slender part near the top of a bottle, vase, or similar object.
5.
any narrow, connecting, or projecting part suggesting the neck of an animal.
6.
a narrow strip of land, as an isthmus or a cape.
7.
a strait.
8.
the longer and more slender part of a violin or similar stringed instrument, extending from the body to the head.
9.
Building Trades, Machinery. the part on a shank of a bolt next to the head, especially when it has a special form.
10.
Anatomy. a narrowed part of a bone, organ, or the like.
11.
Dentistry. the slightly narrowed region of a tooth between the crown and the root.
12.
Printing. beard (def 5).
13.
Architecture. a cylindrical continuation of the shaft of a column above the lower astragal of the capital, as in the Roman Doric and Tuscan orders.
14.
Also called volcanic neck. Geology. the solidified lava or igneous rock filling a conduit leading either to a vent of an extinct volcano or to a laccolith.
verb (used without object)
15.
Informal. (of two persons) to embrace, kiss, and caress one another amorously.
verb (used with object)
16.
Informal. to embrace, kiss, and caress (someone) amorously.
17.
to strangle or behead.
Idioms
18.
be up to one's neck, Informal. to have a surfeit; be overburdened:
Right now she's up to her neck in work.
19.
break one's neck, Informal. to make a great effort:
We broke our necks to get there on time.
20.
get it in the neck, Slang.
  1. to suffer punishment or loss:
    The trend is to consolidation and small businesses are getting it in the neck.
  2. to be rejected or dismissed:
    The employees got it in the neck when the company moved overseas.
  3. to be sharply reprimanded or scolded.
21.
neck and neck, even or very close; indeterminate as to the outcome:
They were coming toward the finish line neck and neck.
22.
neck of the woods, Informal. neighborhood, area, or vicinity:
Next time you're in this neck of the woods, drop in.
23.
stick one's neck out, Informal. to expose oneself to danger, disaster, failure, disgrace, etc.; take a risk:
He stuck his neck out by supporting an unpopular candidate.
24.
win by a neck,
  1. to win by a small amount or narrow margin.
  2. Racing. to be first by a head and neck; finish closely.
Origin
before 900; Middle English nekke, Old English hnecca, cognate with Dutch nek nape of neck; akin to German Nacken, Old Norse hnakki nape of neck
Related forms
necker, noun
neckless, adjective
necklike, adjective
Examples from the web for neck
  • Along the entire coastline and major ridges as well as across the peninsula's narrow neck, he set traps.
  • But they're the equivalent of a neck scarf or a piece of jewelry.
  • Its down was fuzzy against my chin, and its new feathers tickled the side of my neck.
  • Open the spigot and fill each bottle about halfway up the neck.
  • Head and neck cancer patients were once primarily older heavy smokers and drinkers.
  • Her find is met with much skepticism, as no one believes a creature with such a long neck could actually have existed.
  • The first holds that the extra fur protects the lion from injuries to the neck and shoulders.
  • My pain may start on the left side of the neck, traveling down further left to surround the heart.
  • Desperate to dull her feelings, she removed her belt, tied it around her neck and pulled it tight to stop herself from breathing.
  • We know them for what they can do from the neck down.
British Dictionary definitions for neck

neck

/nɛk/
noun
1.
the part of an organism connecting the head with the rest of the body related adjectives cervical jugular
2.
the part of a garment around or nearest the neck
3.
something resembling a neck in shape or position: the neck of a bottle
4.
(anatomy) a constricted portion of an organ or part, such as the cervix of the uterus
5.
a narrow or elongated projecting strip of land; a peninsula or isthmus
6.
a strait or channel
7.
the part of a violin, cello, etc, that extends from the body to the tuning pegs and supports the fingerboard
8.
a solid block of lava from the opening of an extinct volcano, exposed after erosion of the surrounding rock
9.
(botany) the upper, usually tubular, part of the archegonium of mosses, ferns, etc
10.
the length of a horse's head and neck taken as an approximate distance by which one horse beats another in a race: to win by a neck
11.
(informal) a short distance, amount, or margin: he is always a neck ahead in new techniques
12.
(informal) impudence; audacity: he had the neck to ask for a rise
13.
(architect) the narrow band at the top of the shaft of a column between the necking and the capital, esp as used in the Tuscan order
14.
another name for beard, on printer's type
15.
(informal) break one's neck, to exert oneself greatly, esp by hurrying, in order to do something
16.
(Irish & Scot, slang) by the neck, (of a bottle of beer) served unpoured: give me two bottles of stout by the neck
17.
(informal) get it in the neck, to be reprimanded or punished severely
18.
neck and neck, absolutely level or even in a race or competition
19.
(informal) neck of the woods, an area or locality: a quiet neck of the woods
20.
risk one's neck, to take a great risk
21.
(informal)
  1. save one's neck, to escape from a difficult or dangerous situation
  2. save someone's neck, to help someone else escape from such a situation
22.
(informal) stick one's neck out, to risk criticism, ridicule, failure, etc, by speaking one's mind
23.
up to one's neck in, deeply involved in: he's up to his neck in dodgy dealings
verb
24.
(intransitive) (informal) to kiss, embrace, or fondle someone or one another passionately
25.
(transitive) (Brit, informal) to swallow (something, esp a drink): he's been necking pints all night
Derived Forms
necker, noun
Word Origin
Old English hnecca; related to Old High German hnack, Old Irish cnocc hill
Word Origin and History for neck
n.

Old English hnecca "neck, nape, back of the neck" (a fairly rare word) from Proto-Germanic *khnekkon "the nape of the neck" (cf. Old Frisian hnekka, Middle Dutch necke, Dutch nek, Old Norse hnakkr, Old High German hnach, German Nacken "neck"), with no certain cognates outside Germanic, though Klein's sources suggest PIE *knok- "high point, ridge" (cf. Old Irish cnocc, Welsh cnwch, Old Breton cnoch "hill").

The more usual Old English words were hals (the general Germanic word, cf. Gothic, Old Norse, Danish, Swedish, Dutch, German hals), cognate with Latin collum (see collar (n.)); and swira, probably also from a PIE root meaning "column" (cf. Sanskrit svaru- "post").

Transferred senses attested from c.1400. Phrase neck of the woods (American English) is attested from 1780 in the sense of "narrow stretch of woods;" 1839 with meaning "settlement in a wooded region." To stick one's neck out "take a risk" is first recorded 1919, American English. Horses running neck and neck is attested from 1799.

v.

"to kiss, embrace, caress," 1825 (implied in necking) in northern England dialect, from neck (n.). Cf. Middle English halsen "to embrace or caress affectionately, to fondle sexually," from hals (n.) "neck." Earlier, neck as a verb meant "to kill by a strike on the neck" (mid-15c.). Related: Necked.

neck in Medicine

neck (něk)
n.

  1. The part of the body joining the head to the shoulders or trunk.

  2. A narrow or constricted part of a structure, as of a bone or an organ, that joins its parts; a cervix.

  3. The part of a tooth between the crown and the root.

Slang definitions & phrases for neck

neck

verb

To kiss, embrace, and caress; dally amorously; make out, smooch: At least you'd want to neck me/ You ''spooned,'' then you ''petted,'' after that you ''necked'' (1825+)

Related Terms

dead from the neck up, dirty-neck, get off someone's back, give someone a pain, leatherneck, no-neck, a pain in the ass, redneck, roughneck, rubberneck, stick one's neck out, to save one's neck


neck in the Bible

used sometimes figuratively. To "lay down the neck" (Rom. 16:4) is to hazard one's life. Threatenings of coming judgments are represented by the prophets by their laying bands upon the people's necks (Deut. 28:48; Isa. 10:27; Jer. 27:2). Conquerors put their feet on the necks of their enemies as a sign of their subjection (Josh. 10:24; 2 Sam. 22:41).

Idioms and Phrases with neck

neck

also see:
Encyclopedia Article for neck

in land vertebrates, the portion of the body joining the head to the shoulders and chest. Some important structures contained in or passing through the neck include the seven cervical vertebrae and enclosed spinal cord, the jugular veins and carotid arteries, part of the esophagus, the larynx and vocal cords, and the sternocleidomastoid and hyoid muscles in front and the trapezius and other nuchal muscles behind. Among the primates, humans are characterized by having a relatively long neck

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