Aper
/ˈeɪpər/noun
A person who imitates or copies another.
Did you know?Aper is formed transparently from the verb ape, whose animal sense became a metaphor for crude imitation because apes were historically viewed as grotesque human-like mimics.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*apō
“Ape or monkey; an early Germanic animal name of uncertain ultimate origin.”
Old English
Old English
apa
“Ape or monkey.”
Middle English
Middle English
ape
“An ape; also a person who imitates or mimics.”
14th Century
English
apen
“To imitate or mimic.”
Modern English
English
aper
“One who apes or imitates another.”