English word origin

Etymology of scape

From Latin scāpus, from Doric Greek σκᾶπος (skâpos). Doublet of native English shaft.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A leafless stalk growing directly out of a root, bulb, or subterranean structure. · The basal segment of an insect's antenna (i.e. the part closest to the body). · The basal part, more specifically known as the oviscape, of the ovipositor of an insect. · The shaft of a column.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Latin scāpus, from Doric Greek σκᾶπος (skâpos). Doublet of native English shaft.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionscāpusla
Cognate mentionshaften

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To escape (someone or something).

noun

Escape. · A means of escape; evasion. · A freak; a slip; a fault; an escapade. · A loose act of vice or lewdness.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English scapen (whence also atscapen and ofscapen (“to escape”)), formed by aphesis from escapen, ascapen (“to escape”). Compare also Old French scapper, a variant of Old French eschaper, formed via similar process. Doublet of escape and scarper.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionscapenenm
Cognate mentionscapperfro
Cognate mentioneschaperfro
Doublet mentionescapeen
Doublet mentionscarperen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

The cry of the snipe when flushed. · The snipe itself.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Probably imitative.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for scape →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-c2NhcGU