December 12, 2012
escapade (noun)
\ESS-kuh-payd\ Hear it!
What does it mean?
: a mischievous adventure : prank
How do you use it?
Though our class thought that putting the rubber snake in the science teacher's desk was pure genius, the vice principal wasn't pleased with our escapade.
Are you a word wiz?

"Escapade" was borrowed into English from another language. What language do you think gave us "escapade"?

It's no joke -- English-speakers took "escapade" from French. When first borrowed in the 17th century, English "escapade" meant "action of escaping," which was the very meaning of the French word "escapade." French "escapade" was a modification of Spanish "escapada," from "escapar," meaning "to escape." While we know that French also gave us the word "mischief," pinning down the origins of other synonyms of "escapade" is tricky. Some mischievous words that have uncertain origins include "shenanigan" and "monkeyshines."
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