Main Entry:

¹ape

Pronunciation:

\ˈāp\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English, from Old English apa; akin to Old High German affo ape

Date:

before 12th century

1 a: monkey ; especially : one of the larger tailless or short-tailed Old World forms b: any of two families (Pongidae and Hylobatidae) of large tailless semierect primates (as the chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, or gibbon) —called also anthropoid anthropoid ape2 a: mimic b: a large uncouth person

— ape·like \ˈāp-ˌlīk\ adjective