The nape is the back of your neck, that soft spot where your neck meets your shoulders. If you reach behind your head and touch where your hairline ends and your neck begins, you're touching your nape.

The nape is a vulnerable area because your spine runs right beneath the skin there, protected only by muscles. In martial arts, students learn never to strike this spot during practice because it's so sensitive. Animals instinctively protect their napes: mother cats carry their kittens by grasping the nape of the neck with their teeth, and the kittens automatically go limp and still, a reflex that helps keep them safe during transport.

The word often appears in descriptions of hairstyles. Someone might wear their hair in a ponytail that sits at the nape, or get a haircut that's trimmed close at the nape. On a hot summer day, you might notice how much cooler you feel when you pull your hair up off your nape.