*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of apish

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep-der.? Proto-Germanic *apô Proto-West Germanic *apō Old English apa Middle English ape English ape Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-isk Old

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
adj

Resembling or characteristic of an ape.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep-der.? Proto-Germanic *apô Proto-West Germanic *apō Old English apa Middle English ape English ape Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-isk Old English -isċ Middle English -isch English -ish English apish From ape + -ish.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "ape<id:primate>",
        "4": "-ish",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂ep-der.?\nProto-Germanic *apô\nProto-West Germanic *apō\nOld English apa\nMiddle English ape\nEnglish ape\nProto-Indo-European *-iskos\nProto-Germanic *-iskaz\nProto-West Germanic *-isk\nOld English -isċ\nMiddle English -isch\nEnglish -ish\nEnglish apish\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"id\" : \"water\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₂ep-\", \"gloss\" : \"water\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*apô\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*apō\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"apa\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"ape\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"ape\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"adjective\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"-ish\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"adjective\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"pertaining to\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"pertaining to\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-iskos\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-iskaz\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*-isk\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"-isċ\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"-isch\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-ish\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"apish\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"apish\">\nFrom ape + -ish."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "ape<id:primate>",
        "4": "-ish",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂ep-der.?\nProto-Germanic *apô\nProto-West Germanic *apō\nOld English apa\nMiddle English ape\nEnglish ape\nProto-Indo-European *-iskos\nProto-Germanic *-iskaz\nProto-West Germanic *-isk\nOld English -isċ\nMiddle English -isch\nEnglish -ish\nEnglish apish\nFrom ape + -ish."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*h₂ep-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂ep-#Proto-Indo-European:_water"
    ],
    [
      "*apô",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/apô#Proto-Germanic:_ape"
    ],
    [
      "*apō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/apō"
    ],
    [
      "apa",
      "apa#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "ape",
      "ape#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ape",
      "ape#English:_primate"
    ],
    [
      "*-iskos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-iskos#Proto-Indo-European:_pertaining_to"
    ],
    [
      "*-iskaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/-iskaz#Proto-Germanic:_pertaining_to"
    ],
    [
      "*-isk",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/-isk#Proto-West_Germanic:_adjective"
    ],
    [
      "-isċ",
      "-isc#Old_English:_-ish"
    ],
    [
      "-isch",
      "-isch#Middle_English:_adjective"
    ],
    [
      "-ish",
      "-ish#English"
    ],
    [
      "ape",
      "ape#English:_primate"
    ],
    [
      "-ish",
      "-ish#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Resembling or characteristic of an ape."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "3172bac3c8220486514e84d937258349b42859db6153f45f8bd71b52159463a5",
      "rawRecordSha256": "da57d6ce3801a2b7ac13a590cbea488a7beb0949782f2b70754cfcd72530d529",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 580736
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for apish →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YXBpc2g