scarper
Scarper (verb) means Chiefly in scarper the letty: to depart quickly or run away from (a place); to flee.
Etymology
The verb is probably borrowed from Italian scappare (“to run away, escape, flee”), from Vulgar Latin *excappāre (“to escape”), from Latin ex- (prefix meaning ‘away; out’) + cappa (“(Late Latin) cape, cloak (usually with a hood); (Medieval Latin) cap; headwear”) (further etymology uncertain, probably ultimately from caput (“head”), from dialectal Proto-Indo-European *káput (“head”)) + -āre (the present active infinitive of -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)). Around World War I (1914–1918), the English word was influenced by the Cockney rhyming slang term Scapa Flow (“to go”). Doublet of escape and scape. The noun is derived from the verb.
Rhymes for scarper
See all rhymes for scarper →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of scarper?
"scarper" (verb) means chiefly in scarper the letty: to depart quickly or run away from (a place); to flee.
What are the different meanings of scarper?
"scarper" has 2 main meanings: 1. Chiefly in scarper the letty: to depart quickly or run away from (a place); to flee; 2. To depart quickly; to escape, to flee, to run away.