Ape (āp), n. [AS. apa; akin to D. aap, OHG. affo, G. affe, Icel. api, Sw. apa, Dan. abe, W. epa.] 1. (Zoöl.) A quadrumanous mammal, esp. of the family Simiadæ, having teeth of the same number and form as in man, and possessing neither a tail nor cheek pouches. The name is applied esp. to species of the genus Hylobates, and is sometimes used as a general term for all Quadrumana. The higher forms, the gorilla, chimpanzee, and ourang, are often called anthropoid apes or man apes.
☞ The ape of the Old Testament was probably the rhesus monkey of India, and allied forms.
2. One who imitates servilely (in allusion to the manners of the ape); a mimic. Byron.
3. A dupe. Chaucer.