absquatulate

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ep
2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂epó
3. Proto-Italic*ap
4. Latinab
5. Latinabs-
6. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
7. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
8. Proto-Italic*kom
9. Proto-Italic*kom-
10. Latincon-
11. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
12. Proto-Indo-European*dʰéh₁t
13. Latincondō
14. Latinabscondō
15. Middle Frenchabscondre
16. Latinabscondō
17. Englishabscond
18. Proto-Indo-European*h₁éǵʰ
19. Proto-Indo-European*h₁éǵʰs
20. Proto-Italic*eks
21. Latinex
22. Latinex-
23. Old Frenches-
24. Latinco-
25. Proto-Indo-European*h₂eǵ-
26. Proto-Indo-European*h₂éǵeti
27. Proto-Italic*agō
28. Latinagō
29. Latincōgō
30. Latincoāctus
31. Old Frenchquatir
32. Old Frenchesquatir
33. Middle Englishsquatten
34. Englishsquat
35. Proto-Indo-European*per-
36. Proto-Italic*peri-
37. Latinper-
38. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ent-
39. Proto-Indo-European*h₂énts?
40. Proto-Indo-European*h₂m̥bʰí
41. Proto-Italic*amβi-
42. Latinambi-
43. Proto-Indo-European*h₂elh₂-
44. Proto-Italic*alō
45. Latin*alō
46. Latinambulō
47. Latinperambulō
48. Latinperambulātus
49. Englishperambulate
50. English todayabsquatulate

Attested since the 1830s in American English, a jocular mock-Latin word. 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)”. The middle portion was perhaps influenced by -le (“(frequentative)”) and the dialectal term squattle (“depart”); compare contemporary skedaddle.

First known use, by meaning

• from 19th c. To leave quickly or in a hurry; to depart, flee.