elope means of a married or engaged person, to run away from home with a paramour. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 77 out of 100.
elope is pronounced /ɪˈləʊp/.
Why “elope” is a great word
ELOPE — [Verb] To run away secretly, especially to get married without the knowledge or consent of one's family or guardians. From Anglo-Norman aloper ("to abduct, run away"), itself borrowed from Proto-West Germanic *andihlaupan ("to run away"), from *anda- ("away, off") + *hlaupan ("to run, leap"). Unlike "abscond," which implies a flight from law or debt, or "wed," a neutral and ceremonial term, "elope" captures the specific, charged air of a romantic rebellion. It is the hastily packed valise, the clandestine meeting at the crossroads, and the furtive ceremony in a town where no one knows your name—a private compact proving that some bonds are forged not in public sanction, but in quiet, mutual flight.
verb
- Of a married or engaged person, to run away from home with a paramour.
- Of an unmarried person, to run away secretly for the purpose of getting married with one's intended spouse; to marry in a quick or private fashion, especially without a public period of engagement.“My younger sister has left all her friends-- has eloped; has thrown herself into the power of-- of Mr. Wickham.”
- To escape from one's caretaker.
- To run away from home (for any reason).“He had been intended by his father for trade, but his spirit, soaring above the occupation for which he was designed, from repining led him to resist, and from resisting, to rebel. He eloped from his friends, and contrived to enter the army.”