échapper

Etymology

From Middle French eschapper, Old French eschaper, escaper, from Vulgar Latin *excappāre or *excapāre, present active infinitives of *excappo, *excapo, from Latin ex- (“out”) + Late Latin cappa (“cape, coat”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /e.ʃa.pe/

• audio

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Verb

échapper

1. (intransitive, followed by à or de) To escape (from), to evade

   échapper à la mort, to escape death

   échapper des mains de quelqu'un, to slip out of someone's hands

2. (Quebec, transitive) To drop an object unintentionally

   Tu as échappé ta tuque

   You dropped your hat

3. (reflexive, s'échapper followed by de) To escape, to break out (e.g., from prison)
4. (reflexive, s'échapper) To go away, to run away

Further reading

• “échapper” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).