To run away secretly with someone, usually to get married without telling your family or without their permission.
From Middle Dutch 'ontlopen' meaning 'to run away,' combining 'ont-' (un-) and 'lopen' (to run). The word entered English in the 1500s and became specifically associated with secret marriages.
During the Victorian era, elopement was considered scandalous because it meant a couple was defying their parents' wishes—today it's often just a romantic, budget-friendly wedding choice! The word literally means 'to un-run,' which is kind of a double negative in Dutch.
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