ape

Ape comes from Middle English ape, from Old English apa, tracing back through Proto-West Germanic *apō to Proto-Germanic *apô. Some scholars link it to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "water," as if the word once named a water sprite, but the more traditional view holds it's an ancient loanword from a non-Indo-European language in Africa or Asia, where monkeys actually live.

The word has stayed remarkably close to its original meaning, always pointing to monkeys or apes across centuries of Germanic languages. Its only real leap in English is modern: "ape" as slang for going wild is simply a clipping of "apeshit."

It shares a root with German Affe, Dutch aap, Swedish apa, and Icelandic api — all Germanic cousins pointing to the same furry origin.