Middle English Dictionary Entry

escāpen v.
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Entry Info

Forms escāpen v. Also eschapen; ascapen, -ien, aschapen, achapen. Forms: p. escāped(e, ascōp; ppl. escāped, ? ascāpe; perf.3 is escāped.
Etymology CF eschaper, AF aschaper, NF ascaper, es-.

Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)

Note: Cp. scapen, schapen, chapen.
1a.
To free oneself from confinement or someone's grasp; also fig.;-- (a) absol. or with adv.; (b) with obj.
Show 20 Quotations
1b.
To free or extricate oneself from affliction, trouble, or confining condition;--with or without obj.; ~ from (of, oute of).
Show 7 Quotations
2a.
To get away safely by flight from battle, an enemy, or other perilous circumstance;-- (a) absol. or with adv.; (b) with obj.
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2b.
To get safely away from, or succeed in avoiding, any threatened evil, danger, punishment, or the like;-- (a) without obj.; (b) with obj. or inf.
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2c.
To recover from an injury or disease; to rid oneself of (a disease);--without or with obj.
Show 5 Quotations
3.
(a) To avoid experiencing or suffering (anything), evade; to avoid physical contact with (anything); (b) to avoid (a consequence);--with but that clause.
Show 8 Quotations
4a.
(a) Of speech: to issue or escape, esp. involuntarily or inadvertently;--without or with obj.; (b) of tears: to issue from the eyes; (c) of a swelling: to vanish.
Show 7 Quotations
4b.
(a) Of things: to get or keep out of a person's grasp, to elude;--without or with obj.; (b) of time: to slip away.
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4c.
Of things: to elude (a person, his notice, perception, attention, etc.); also, to fail to be noticed, to be overlooked.
Show 7 Quotations
5.
To turn out (a certain way);--a Latinism.
Show 1 Quotation

Supplemental Materials (draft)

Note: The gloss for sense 1b. has been emended.--per MLL

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