absquatulation

/æbˈzkwɑt͡ʃ.ʊ.leɪ.ʃn̩/

absquatulation means the act of absquatulating; hasty departure.

absquatulation is pronounced /æbˈzkwɑt͡ʃ.ʊ.leɪ.ʃn̩/.

Why “absquatulation” is a great word

The act of leaving abruptly or making a hasty departure, formed within English from the verb 'absquatulate' (a jocular pseudo-Latin coinage combining the prefix 'ab-' (away), 'squat', and the suffix '-ulate' (as in 'perambulate')) + the noun-forming suffix '-ion' (denoting action or process), first attested circa 1830. Unlike a neutral 'departure' or a strategic 'decampment,' absquatulation is the farcical art of the flustered flee. It is the landlord arriving for rent and the back door swinging on its hinges; it is the muffled sprint down an alley with pilfered pies; it is the spectacular dive through saloon doors as bullets splinter the frame—a humble admission that discretion is, indeed, the better part of valor, rendered absurd by the very word attempting to dignify it.

Etymology

From absquatulate + -ion.

noun

The act of absquatulating; hasty departure.

Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Words closest in meaning

By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.

absquatulate 80% match — To leave quickly or in a hurry; to depart, flee. vs absquatulation →
absquatulator 78% match — One who absquatulates vs absquatulation →
abscondment 67% match — An act of absconding or escaping vs absquatulation →
abscondence 67% match — The act of absconding, or illicitly escaping; hiding of a fugitive. vs absquatulation →
abscondancy 65% match — The act or fact of absconding, especially from the law. vs absquatulation →
absconding 63% match — An instance in which someone absconds. vs absquatulation →
abscession 61% match — A separating; a removal; a going away. vs absquatulation →
absconsion 60% match — The act of absconding. vs absquatulation →