Definition of
Ape
- (noun, animal) any of various primates with short tails or no tail at all
- (noun, person) someone who copies the words or behavior of another
- (noun, person) person who resembles a nonhuman primate
- (verb, stative) imitate uncritically and in every aspect
- (verb, communication) represent in or produce a caricature of
via WordNet, Princeton University
Synonyms of Ape
Alternate forms of Ape
Hyponyms: anthropoid ape, epigon, epigone, parrot
Hypernyms: imitate, individual, misfit, mock, mortal, person, primate, somebody, someone, soul
Origin of the word Ape
- O.E. apa, from P.Gmc. *apan (cf. O.S. apo, O.N. api, Du. aap, Ger. affe), perhaps borrowed in P.Gmc. from Celtic (cf. O.Ir. apa) or Slavic (cf. O.Bohemian op, Slovak opitza), probably ult. from a non-I.E. language. The verb "to imitate" (1630s) is implied in to play the ape (1570s), and the noun sense of "one… more
via Online Etymology Dictionary, ©2001 Douglas Harper