Affe (German)
Where does "Affe" come from?
The German word 'Affe' evolved from the Proto-Germanic 'apô,' a term that likely entered European languages as an ancient loanword linked to names for monkeys across various cultures. While it originated as a simple descriptor for an ape, it gained a colorful secondary meaning of 'drunkenness' in the 18th century, possibly influenced by the linguistic play between Czech words for monkey and intoxication. This association between monkeys and substance-related states appears elsewhere in language history, illustrating a long-standing translingual trope linking simians to wild or impaired behavior.
Full etymology tree
- Affe (German), 'monkey or ape (male or female or of unspecified sex)'
- inherited affe (Middle High German), 'monkey; ape'
- inherited affo (Old High German), 'monkey'
- inherited *apō (Proto-West Germanic), 'simian (ape, monkey)'
- inherited *apô (Proto-Germanic), 'ape, monkey'
- inherited *apō (Proto-West Germanic), 'simian (ape, monkey)'
- inherited affo (Old High German), 'monkey'
- influence opice (Czech), 'monkey'
- inherited *opica (Proto-Slavic), 'ape, monkey'
- inherited *apô (Proto-Germanic), 'ape, monkey'
- inherited *opica (Proto-Slavic), 'ape, monkey'
- inherited affe (Middle High German), 'monkey; ape'
Ancestors
- affe (Middle High German)
- affo (Old High German)
- *apō (Proto-West Germanic)
- *apô (Proto-Germanic)
- opice (Czech)
Cognates and doublets
- monkey (English)
- mona (Spanish)
- mono (Spanish)
Descendants and derived words
- affig (German)
- nachäffen (German)
- wie ein Affe auf dem Schleifstein (German)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris