■ verb
1》 break free from confinement or control.
↘(of a gas, liquid, or heat) leak from a container.
2》 elude or get free from (someone).
↘succeed in eluding (something dangerous or undesirable): the baby narrowly ~d death.
3》 fail to be noticed or remembered by: the name ~d him.
■ noun
1》 an act of escaping.
↘a means of escaping.
2》 a temporary distraction from reality or routine.
3》 (also ~ key ) a key on a computer keyboard which interrupts the current operation or converts subsequent characters to a control sequence.
4》 a garden plant or pet animal that has gone wild and (in plants) become naturalized.
Derivatives
escapable adjective
~e noun
~r noun
Origin
ME: from OFr. eschaper , based on med. L. ex- 'out' + cappa 'cloak'.