escape
UK[ɪˈskeɪp]US[ɪˈskeɪp]
v
To get free from something, or to avoid something.
n
An act of successfully getting out of a place or a dangerous or unpleasant situation.
Etymology
The word 'escape' entered English in the 14th century from the Anglo-Norman and Old French 'escaper', which itself evolved from the Vulgar Latin 'excappare'. This Latin compound literally meant "to get out of one's cape," from 'ex-' (out of) and 'cappa' (cloak, cape). The vivid image was of leaving a pursuer holding only one's cloak. Over time, this specific physical sense broadened into the general modern meanings of breaking free from confinement or avoiding any unwanted situation, shedding its literal garment but retaining the core idea of a sudden, clever exit.
Analysis
The word is a simplex form derived from a Latin root via Old French. It is not productively composed of separable morphemes in modern English.
Examples
The prisoner managed to escape from the high-security jail.
She reads fantasy novels as an escape from the pressures of daily life.
Luckily, everyone was able to escape the burning building unharmed.