ape-man

- 2 dictionary results

ape-man

[eyp-man]

–noun, plural -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.

Origin:
1875–80

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To ape-man

ape-man (āp'mān')
n.

Any of various extinct primates, such as pithecanthropus, sometimes considered intermediate in evolution between the anthropoid apes and modern humans. Not in scientific usage.
A person or creature held to combine characteristics of apes and humans, as:
1. A brawny or brutish man.
2. An archetype of the primitive or instinctual aspect of human nature: "The superman has created the airplane and the radio, the ape-man has got hold of them" (Los Angeles Times).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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