I. ˈāp noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English apa; akin to Old Saxon apo, Old High German affo, Old Norse api
1.
a. : monkey — used especially of the larger tailless Old World forms
b. : a member of the family Pongidae
2. : one that imitates or copies : mimic
be his duplicate but not his ape — Earl of Chesterfield
the apes of fashion — Malcolm Cowley
3. obsolete : dupe , fool
4. : one that is felt to resemble an ape especially in appearance and manners : a large uncouth person
didn't know who the big ape was — Edwin Corle
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to follow as a pattern or example : imitate , copy , mimic
had aped the styles of various authors — Van Wyck Brooks
Synonyms: see copy
III. ˈä(ˌ)pā noun
( -s )
Etymology: Hawaiian 'ape
1. : any of several herbaceous aroids (as Alocasia macrorrhiza and some members of the genus Xanthosoma ) having large heart-shaped blades rising on long petioles from short trunks and being cultivated as ornamentals especially in Hawaii
2. : ape-ape
IV. ˈāp adjective
Etymology: ape (I)
: being beyond restraint : crazy : wild — usually used in the phrase go ape
went ape over another girl — Boston Sunday Globe Magazine