man apes

1 definition found

man apes - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Ape \Ape\ ([=a]p), n. [AS. apa; akin to D. aap, OHG. affo, G.
     affe, Icel. api, Sw. apa, Dan. abe, W. epa.]
     1. (Zool.) A quadrumanous mammal, esp. of the family
        Simiad[ae], 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
        .
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     Note: The ape of the Old Testament was probably the rhesus
           monkey of India, and allied forms.
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     2. One who imitates servilely (in allusion to the manners of
        the ape); a mimic. --Byron.
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     3. A dupe. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
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