lesser ape

less·er ape

L l

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [les-er eyp]
- /ˈlɛs ər eɪp/
- /ˈles.ər eɪp/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [les-er eyp]
- /ˈlɛs ər eɪp/

Definitions of lesser ape words

noun lesser ape any of a group of anthropoid primates characterized by long arms, a broad chest, and the absence of a tail, comprising the family Pongidae (great ape) which includes the chimpanzee, gorilla, and orangutan, and the family Hylobatidae (lesser ape) which includes the gibbon and siamang. 1
noun lesser ape (loosely) any primate except humans. 1
noun lesser ape an imitator; mimic. 1
noun lesser ape Informal. a big, ugly, clumsy person. 1
verb with object lesser ape to imitate; mimic: to ape another's style of writing. 1
idioms lesser ape go ape, Slang. to become violently emotional: When she threatened to leave him, he went ape. 1

See all 7 definitions of lesser ape

Information block about the term

Origin of lesser ape

First appearance:

before 900

One of the 4% oldest English words

before 900; Middle English; Old English apa; cognate with Old Saxon apo, Old Norse api, Old High German affo (German Affe)

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Lesser ape

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Lesser ape

lesser ape popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 37% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data about 73% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

lesser ape usage trend in Literature

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