Link Centre Dictionary

ape

UK/eɪp/ US/ˈeɪp/ fairly common slang
noun (3) verb (2)

noun

1.

any of various primates with short tails or no tail at all

2.

someone who copies the words or behavior of another

Synonyms
3.

person who resembles a non-human primate

Synonyms

verb

1.

imitate uncritically and in every aspect

  • “Her little brother apes her behavior”
2.

represent in or produce a caricature of

  • “The drawing caricatured the President”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English ape, from Old English apa (“ape, monkey”), from Proto-West Germanic *apō, from Proto-Germanic *apô (“monkey, ape”), possibly derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep- (“water”), compare Proto-Celtic *abū (“river”) (hence English place name Avon, Irish abha, Welsh afon), if the word originally referred to a "water sprite". Traditionally assumed to be an ancient loanword instead, ultimately probably from an unidentified non-Indo-European language of regions in Africa or Asia where monkeys are native. Cognate with Scots aip (“ape”), West Frisian aap (“ape”), Dutch aap (“monkey, ape”), Low German Ape (“ape”), German Affe (“monkey, ape”), Swedish apa (“monkey, ape”), Icelandic api (“ape”).

Phrases

  • ape hanger
  • ape in
  • ape leader
  • ape shit
  • apefirmative action
  • aquatic ape hypothesis
  • aquatic ape theory
  • Barbary ape)

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.