See Also:

ape (iou)



ape noun, adjective, & verb.
[Old English apa masc., ape fem. = Old Saxon apo (Dutch aap), Old High German affo, affe (German Affe), Old Norse api, from Germanic.]
A. noun.
a. An animal of the monkey tribe (suborder Simiae or Anthropoidea): the generic name before 'monkey', and still occas. so used, esp. with ref. to resemblance to and mimicry of humans. OE.
Barbary ape: see BARBARY noun. Japanese ape: see JAPANESE adjective. lead apes in hell arch.: the supposed consequence of dying an old maid. play the ape indulge in (poor) imitation.
b. spec. A member of the family Pongidae, which includes the gorilla, chimpanzee, orang-utan, and gibbon, and is characterized by the absence of a tail and cheek-pouches. L17.
the naked ape humankind.
fig. An (esp. inferior or mindless) imitator; a mimic. ME.
Shakespeare Cymbeline O sleep, thou ape of death. Horace Walpole Every genius has his apes.
An apelike person; a fool. Also as a gen. term of abuse. ME.
S. Richardson That she should instigate the titled ape her husband to write to me.
sea-ape, the thresher or fox-shark, Alopias vulpinus. E17-M19.
Comb.: apeman an extinct primate intermediate between ape and man; an apelike human.
b. adjective.
attrib. Foolish, silly. Only in LME.
pred. Crazy. Esp. in go ape, go ape-shit (slang, orig. N. Amer.). M20.
C. verb trans. Imitate, esp. pretentiously or absurdly. M17.
apelike adjective resembling an ape in appearance or behaviour; resembling that of an ape: M19.
'apeling noun (rare) a young or small ape M18.