absquatulate

English
WOTD – 17 June 2006

Etymology

Attested since the 1830s in American English, a jocular mock-Latin word.[1] Blend of abscond +‎ squat +‎ perambulate, as ab- (“away (from)”) (as in abscond) + squat + *-ulate (as in perambulate, properly -ate), hence meaning “get up (from a squat) and depart (quickly)”.[1][2] The middle portion was perhaps influenced by -le (“(frequentative)”) and the dialectal term squattle (“depart”); compare contemporary skedaddle.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /æb.ˈskwɑtʃ.ʊ.leɪt/, /æbz.ˈkwɑtʃ.ʊ.leɪt/, /æbz.ˈkwɑtʃ.ə.leɪt/
  • Audio (US)(file)

Verb

absquatulate (third-person singular simple present absquatulates, present participle absquatulating, simple past and past participle absquatulated)

  1. (intransitive, slang) To leave quickly or in a hurry; to depart, flee. [from 19th c.][3]
    • 1910, H. G. Wells, The history of Mr. Polly
      " […] Now I see you again—I’m satisfied. I’m satisfied completely. See? I’m going to absquatulate, see? Hey Presto right away.”
      He turned to his tea for a moment, finished his cup noisily, stood up.
  2. (intransitive, slang) to abscond.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

See also
  • Appendix:Fanciful 19th century American coinages

References
  • “absquatulate” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.
  1. “Absquatulate” in Michael Quinion, World Wide Words, 3 August 2002.
  2. New Orleans Weekly Picayune, December 1839
  3. “absquatulate” in Lesley Brown, editor, The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 5th edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 9.
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