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ape-man

[eyp-man]
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noun, plural ape-men.
  1. a hypothetical primate representing a transitional form between true humans and the anthropoid apes, considered by some as constituting the genus Australopithecus.
  2. a human assumed to have been reared by apes.
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Origin of ape-man

First recorded in 1875–80
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for apeman

Historical Examples

  • It was not the voice of an apeman, or an apewoman, but held a human quality.

    B. C. 30,000

    Sterner St. Paul Meek

  • The blow was deflected by the upraised arm of the apeman and fell on his shoulder.

    B. C. 30,000

    Sterner St. Paul Meek

  • Bentley could guess at her thoughts as he raced on in pursuit of Apeman.

  • Apeman, outside, seemed to be advising them, telling them what to do.

  • Apeman and his captive were on the trail, trapped there just as Apeman had started into the jungle.

British Dictionary definitions for apeman

apeman

noun plural -men
  1. any of various extinct apelike primates thought to have been the forerunners, or closely related to the forerunners, of modern man
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for apeman

ape-man

n.

hypothetical "missing link," 1879, in a translation of Haeckel, from ape (n.) + man (n.). Man-ape is attested from 1878. The name Martin Halfape appears in an English roll from 1227.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper