Ape Definition
āp
aped, apes, aping
noun
apes
Any gibbon or great ape.
Webster's New World
Any Old or New World monkey.
Webster's New World
A person who imitates; mimic.
Webster's New World
A mimic or imitator.
American Heritage
A person who is uncouth, gross, clumsy, etc.
Webster's New World
verb
aped, apes, aping
To imitate or mimic, especially in a thoughtless or inept way.
American Heritage
To imitate or mimic.
Webster's New World
(intransitive) To behave like an ape.
Wiktionary
adjective
Synonyms:
idiom
go ape
- To become wildly excited or angry:
went ape at the party; went ape when she saw the parking ticket.
American Heritage
go ape
- to express unrestrained anger; rage
- to become wildly enthusiastic
Webster's New World
Other Word Forms of Ape
Noun
Singular:
ape
Plural:
apesOrigin of Ape
-
From Middle English ape, from Old English apa (“ape, monkey”), from Proto-Germanic *apô (“monkey, ape”), from Proto-Indo-European *abō- (“ape”). Cognate with Scots aip (“ape”), West Frisian aap (“ape”), Dutch aap (“monkey, ape”), Low German Ape (“ape”), German Affe (“monkey, ape”), Swedish apa (“ape”), Icelandic api (“ape”).
From Wiktionary
Middle English from Old English apa
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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