scarper

Pronunciation: /ˈskɑːpə/

The English word “scarper” has 3 meanings listed here.

verb

Chiefly in scarper the letty: to depart quickly or run away from (a place); to flee.
To depart quickly; to escape, to flee, to run away.

noun

Chiefly in do a scarper: an act of departing quickly or running away; an escape, a flight.

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…

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