Nuchals

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Pertaining to the nape of the neck, often used in anatomy to describe structures located in that area
2. Relating to the back part of the head or neck, especially in terms of muscle attachment or cranial features
3. Descriptive of features or regions associated with the base of the skull and upper cervical spine

Etymology: "Nuchals" is simply the plural of "nuchal," so the real story belongs to the adjective. The surprising part is where it started: an Arabic word for the spinal cord. The Arabic "nuḵāʕ" passed into Medieval Latin as "nucha," meaning the back of the neck or the spinal marrow, and Latin speakers then formed the adjective "nuchālis" from it, adding the suffix "-ālis" meaning "relating to." English borrowed the adjective from that Medieval Latin source. Anatomists used it for structures at the back of the neck and skull, which is why the word still sounds technical. A plural like "nuchals" is used when speaking of several such structures, such as several muscle attachments on the skull.