• IPA: /nɛk/

neck (plural necks)

1. (anatomy) The part of the body connecting the head and the trunk found in humans and some animals.

   Giraffes have long necks.

2. The corresponding part in some other anatomical contexts.
3. The part of a shirt, dress etc., which fits a person's neck.
4. The tapered part of a bottle toward the opening.
5. (botany) The slender tubelike extension atop an archegonium, through which the sperm swim to reach the egg.
   • 1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, New York, N.Y.: Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page 5:

     Archegonia are surrounded early in their development by the juvenile perianth, through the slender beak of which the elongated neck of the fertilized archegonium protrudes.

6. (music) The extension of any stringed instrument on which a fingerboard is mounted
7. A long narrow tract of land projecting from the main body, or a narrow tract connecting two larger tracts.
8. (engineering) A reduction in size near the end of an object, formed by a groove around it.

   a neck forming the journal of a shaft

9. The constriction between the root and crown of a tooth.
10. (architecture) The gorgerin of a capital.
11. (firearms) The small part of a gun between the chase and the swell of the muzzle.
12. (figurative) A person's life.

    to risk one's neck; to save someone's neck

13. (informal, MLE, slang) A falsehood; a lie.
14. (folklore) shapeshifting water spirits in Germanic mythology and folklore

    Synonyms: Neck, nicor, nokk, nix, nixie, nixy, nokken, näck, Näcken

• French: cou, nuque nape of the neck
• German: Hals, (back of the neck) Nacken, (back of the neck) Genick
• Italian: collo
• Portuguese: pescoço
• Russian: ше́я
• Spanish: cuello, pescuezo

• French: col
• German: Kragen
• Italian: collo
• Portuguese: gola
• Russian: во́рот

• French: goulot
• German: Hals, Flaschenhals
• Italian: collo
• Portuguese: gargalo
• Russian: го́рлышко

• French: manche
• German: Hals
• Portuguese: braço
• Russian: гриф
• Spanish: cuello, mástil

• Russian: переше́ек

neck (necks, present participle necking; past and past participle necked)

1. To hang by the neck; strangle; kill, eliminate

   Go neck yourself.

2. (chiefly, US) To make love; to intently kiss or cuddle; to canoodle.

   Alan and Betty were necking in the back of a car when Betty's dad caught them.

   Synonyms: French kiss, grope, pet, smoodge, snog, snuggle, smooch

3. To drink rapidly.
   • 2006, Sarah Johnstone, Tom Masters, London

     In the dim light, punters sit sipping raspberry-flavoured Tokyo martinis, losing the freestyle sushi off their chopsticks or necking Asahi beer.

   Synonyms: chug
4. To decrease in diameter.
   • 2007, John H. Bickford, Introduction to the Design and Behavior of Bolted Joints, page 272 ↗

     Since this temperature would place the bolt in its creep range, it will slowly stretch, necking down as it does so. Eventually it will get too thin to support the weight, and the bolt will break.

• German: hängen, erhängen, würgen, erwürgen
• Italian: strangolare, appendere per il collo, impiccare
• Portuguese: esganar, estrangular, enforcar

• German: knutschen, sich küssen, sich lieben
• Italian: pomiciare, limonare, slinguare, fare l'amore

• German: schlucken, saufen, stürzen, hinunterstürzen, runterstürzen