Meanings
present singular third person absquatulates · participle present absquatulating · participle past absquatulated · past absquatulated
- intransitiveslangTo leave quickly or in a hurry; to depart, flee.First known use 19th c.
"[…]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.
1910, H. G. Wells, The history of Mr. Polly3 more examples
Even within the past year, several Land Officers and keepers of public monies--the Collector of New Orleans and Plattsburg--the Post Masters of Mobile and Worcester have made serious and prominent additions to the long catalogue of absquatulating defaulters.
1840 January 9, “The President's Message, No. 2”, in Lincoln Telegraph, volume IV, number 41, Bath, Maine, page 3Why, I expect in a year or two to see coffins introduced into the parlors of the Fifth Avenue, and to find them, when their owners fail or absquatulate, advertised for sale at auction, with the rest of the household furniture, at a great sacrifice on the original cost.
1860 September, “A Day with the Dead”, in The Atlantic Monthly, volume 6, number 35Whilst I was looking for the books, Lord Orville came in. He looked uncommonly down in the mouth, as he said: ‘Is this true, Miss Anville; are you going to cut?‘ ‘To absquatulate, Lord Orville,’ said I, still pretending that I was looking for the books.
1863, William Makepeace Thackeray, Roundabout Papers
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
verbrun away; usually includes taking something or somebody along
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂ep
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂epó
- Proto-Italic*ap
- Latinab
- Latinabs-
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
- Proto-Italic*kom
- Proto-Italic*kom-
- Latincon-
- Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
- Proto-Indo-European*dʰéh₁t
- Latincondō
- Latinabscondō
- Middle Frenchabscondre
- Latinabscondō
- Englishabscond
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁éǵʰ
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁éǵʰs
- Proto-Italic*eks
- Latinex
- Latinex-
- Old Frenches-
- Latinco-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂eǵ-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂éǵeti
- Proto-Italic*agō
- Latinagō
- Latincōgō
- Latincoāctus
- Old Frenchquatir
- Old Frenchesquatir
- Middle Englishsquatten
- Englishsquat
- Proto-Indo-European*per-
- Proto-Italic*peri-
- Latinper-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂ent-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂énts?
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂m̥bʰí
- Proto-Italic*amβi-
- Latinambi-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂elh₂-
- Proto-Italic*alō
- Latin*alō
- Latinambulō
- Latinperambulō
- Latinperambulātus
- Englishperambulate
- Englishabsquatulate
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.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian вдигам гълъбите
- вдигам гълъбите (vdigam gălăbite)to leave quickly or in a hurry; to take oneself off; to decamp; to depart
Czech zdejchnout se
- zdejchnout seto leave quickly or in a hurry; to take oneself off; to decamp; to depart
Dutch er vanonder muizen, 'm smeren
- er vanonder muizento leave quickly or in a hurry; to take oneself off; to decamp; to depart
- 'm smerento leave quickly or in a hurry; to take oneself off; to decamp; to depart
- zijn biezen pakkento leave quickly or in a hurry; to take oneself off; to decamp; to depart
- wegwezento leave quickly or in a hurry; to take oneself off; to decamp; to depart
- er vanonder trekkento leave quickly or in a hurry; to take oneself off; to decamp; to depart
Finnish livistää
- livistääto leave quickly or in a hurry; to take oneself off; to decamp; to depart
German fliehen, fortlaufen
- fliehento leave quickly or in a hurry; to take oneself off; to decamp; to depart
- fortlaufento leave quickly or in a hurry; to take oneself off; to decamp; to depart
- davonmachento leave quickly or in a hurry; to take oneself off; to decamp; to depart
Japanese 逃げる
- 逃げる (nigeru)to leave quickly or in a hurry; to take oneself off; to decamp; to depart
Korean 뺑소니치다, 종적을 감추다
- 뺑소니치다 (ppaengsonichida)to leave quickly or in a hurry; to take oneself off; to decamp; to depart
- 종적을 감추다 (jongjeogeul gamchuda)to leave quickly or in a hurry; to take oneself off; to decamp; to depart
Polish zwiewać
- zwiewaćto leave quickly or in a hurry; to take oneself off; to decamp; to depart
Portuguese pirar-se, pisgar-se
- pirar-seto leave quickly or in a hurry; to take oneself off; to decamp; to depart
- pisgar-seto leave quickly or in a hurry; to take oneself off; to decamp; to depart
- dar o forato leave quickly or in a hurry; to take oneself off; to decamp; to depart
Swedish dunsta, smita
- dunstato leave quickly or in a hurry; to take oneself off; to decamp; to depart
- smitato leave quickly or in a hurry; to take oneself off; to decamp; to depart
- flyto leave quickly or in a hurry; to take oneself off; to decamp; to depart
- drato leave quickly or in a hurry; to take oneself off; to decamp; to depart
Cite this entry
absquatulate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/absquatulate
“absquatulate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/absquatulate. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “absquatulate,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/absquatulate.
Source: absquatulate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.