escapada

Forms

escapada f (plural escapadas)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Spanish escapar + -ada.^[2][3] Echegaray compares Catalan escapada, French escapade and Italian scappata.^[4]

escapar is recorded from about 1140 and continues Vulgar Latin *excappāre (“to get out of a hindrance”), a derivative of cappa (“cape”), from the way a cape hampers movement.^[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Autoridades defines it as a flight and secret departure to escape a danger or to do something unseen, with a quotation of Hortensio: hace la escapada a buena hora “he makes his escape in good time”.^[6]

Semantic evolution

The Academy kept the sense “secret departure and hasty flight to escape a danger” from 1817 to 1884.^[7][2] Since 1899 it has defined it as the action of escaping.^[8] In the Americas it is recorded from 1792 in Buenos Aires, and in Santo Domingo in 1821 in the phrase iban de escapada.^[9]

The modern senses are a short break from one's usual occupations, usually for fun, and in cycling and other sports a breakaway from the rest of the field.^[10][11][12] The phrase en una escapada means “in a moment, quickly”.^[10][11]

Timeline

• 1726–1739 – Autoridades records the noun with a quotation of Hortensio.^[6]
• 1792 – first record in the Americas, in Buenos Aires.^[9]
• 1817 – the Academy defines it as a secret and hasty flight.^[7]
• 1884 – the Academy derives it from escapar.^[2]
• 1899 – the definition becomes “action of escaping”.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. An escape, flight: the act of escaping.^[10][1]
2. A short break or trip away from one's usual occupations, usually for pleasure: Hicimos una escapada de fin de semana a la costa.^[10][1]
3. (sports) A breakaway: a lead taken by a rider or a group over the rest of the field.^[10][11]

Related words

• escapar
• escape
• escapatoria
• French escapade

Usage notes

En una escapada means “in a moment, very quickly”, the same as a escape.^[10]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Real Academia Española (1884), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 12th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Gregorio Hernando (the first Academy edition with etymologies), p. 446
3. ^ a b Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 2, 674
4. ^ Echegaray, Eduardo de (1887–1889), Diccionario general etimológico de la lengua española, 5 vols., Madrid: José María Faquineto, p. 184
5. ^ Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. escapar
6. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1726–1739), Diccionario de la lengua castellana (Diccionario de Autoridades), 6 vols., Madrid: Francisco del Hierro, p. 3
7. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1817), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 5th ed., Madrid: Imprenta Real, p. 377
8. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1899), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 13th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de los Sres. Hernando y Compañía, p. 413
9. ^ a b Boyd-Bowman, Peter (2003), Léxico hispanoamericano 1493–1993, ed. Ray Harris-Northall and John J. Nitti, New York: Hispanic Seminary of Medieval Studies, p. s.v. escapada
10. ^ a b c d e f Real Academia Española; Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2014–), Diccionario de la lengua española, 23rd ed., online version 23.8, https://dle.rae.es, p. s.v. escapada
11. ^ a b c Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. escapada
12. ^ Battaner Arias, Paz (dir.) (2017), Diccionario general de la lengua española VOX, Barcelona: Larousse Editorial, p. s.v. escapada