Apers

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who imitate or mimic others' actions and behaviors ; people who replicate styles, speech, or mannerisms to appear similar to someone else ; those who copy the characteristics or habits of another in order to emulate or parody them
2. Persons known for reproducing another’s actions, expressions, or customs ; those who intentionally duplicate traits or conduct seen in others to achieve resemblance ; imitators who adopt or echo other people’s behaviors or appearances
3. Characters that replicate or mirror the actions or looks of others ; entities that borrow or simulate another's style, conduct, or presentation ; beings that echo or mirror someone else’s manner or behavior for effect or social integration

Etymology: "Apers" is the third-person singular form of "aper," so the verb is what we need to trace. The word is formed simply from "ape," the primate, plus the agent suffix "-er," so an aper is one who behaves like an ape. The ape itself came into English from Old English "apa," a word inherited from Proto-Germanic "apôn," and the suffix traces back through Old French "-ier" to Latin "-arius," a common ending for people who practise or imitate something. The verb sense is the one that matters here. To "ape" someone is to copy their manner or actions, usually without much understanding, and the idea of mimicry is the whole point of the metaphor: the monkey is famous for imitating what it sees. Here the ancient word for the animal has become a verb for human copying.

Synonyms: imitates, mimics, copies, emulates, parrots

Antonyms: innovates, originates, creates