Present participle of escape; breaking free from confinement, danger, or an unpleasant situation.
From Old French 'eschaper', literally meaning 'to get out of one's cape' - the idea being that one could slip out of a cape to flee from a pursuer. From Vulgar Latin 'excappare', combining 'ex-' (out) and 'cappa' (cape).
The word 'escaping' has a delightfully vivid origin - it literally meant slipping out of your cape to flee from someone grabbing you, like a medieval version of a lizard dropping its tail to escape a predator!
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