'ape' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'apa' (also attested in other Germanic languages), where the form referred to the animal.

'ape' changed from Old English 'apa' to Middle English 'ape' and eventually became the modern English word 'ape'. The verb 'to ape' (to imitate) developed from the noun in early modern English.

Initially, it meant 'the animal (ape)'; over time the noun gave rise to the verb meaning 'to imitate (like an ape),' and that figurative sense has persisted alongside the original animal sense.