Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Escape \Es*cape"\, n. (Bot.)
   A plant which has escaped from cultivation.

Escape \Es*cape"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Escaped}; p. pr. & vb.
   n. {Escaping}.] [OE. escapen, eschapen, OF. escaper,
   eschaper, F. echapper, fr. LL. ex cappa out of one's cape or
   cloak; hence, to slip out of one's cape and escape. See 3d
   {Cape}, and cf. {Scape}, v.]
   1. To flee from and avoid; to be saved or exempt from; to
      shun; to obtain security from; as, to escape danger.
      ``Sailors that escaped the wreck.'' --Shak.

   2. To avoid the notice of; to pass unobserved by; to evade;
      as, the fact escaped our attention.

            They escaped the search of the enemy. --Ludlow.

Escape \Es*cape"\, v. i.
   1. To flee, and become secure from danger; -- often followed
      by from or out of.

            Haste, for thy life escape, nor look behind??
                                                  --Keble.

   2. To get clear from danger or evil of any form; to be passed
      without harm.

            Such heretics . . . would have been thought
            fortunate, if they escaped with life. --Macaulay.

   3. To get free from that which confines or holds; -- used of
      persons or things; as, to escape from prison, from arrest,
      or from slavery; gas escapes from the pipes; electricity
      escapes from its conductors.

            To escape out of these meshes.        --Thackeray.

Escape \Es*cape"\, n.
   1. The act of fleeing from danger, of evading harm, or of
      avoiding notice; deliverance from injury or any evil;
      flight; as, an escape in battle; a narrow escape; also,
      the means of escape; as, a fire escape.

            I would hasten my escape from the windy storm. --Ps.
                                                  lv. 8.

   2. That which escapes attention or restraint; a mistake; an
      oversight; also, transgression. [Obs.]

            I should have been more accurate, and corrected all
            those former escapes.                 --Burton.

   3. A sally. ``Thousand escapes of wit.'' --Shak.

   4. (Law) The unlawful permission, by a jailer or other
      custodian, of a prisoner's departure from custody.

   Note: Escape is technically distinguishable from prison
         breach, which is the unlawful departure of the prisoner
         from custody, escape being the permission of the
         departure by the custodian, either by connivance or
         negligence. The term escape, however, is applied by
         some of the old authorities to a departure from custody
         by stratagem, or without force. --Wharton.

   5. (Arch.) An apophyge.

   6. Leakage or outflow, as of steam or a liquid.

   7. (Elec.) Leakage or loss of currents from the conducting
      wires, caused by defective insulation.

   {Escape pipe} (Steam Boilers), a pipe for carrying away steam
      that escapes through a safety valve.

   {Escape valve} (Steam Engine), a relief valve; a safety
      valve. See under {Relief}, and {Safety}.

   {Escape wheel} (Horol.), the wheel of an escapement.

Source : WordNet®

escape
     n 1: the act of escaping physically; "he made his escape from the
          mental hospital"; "the canary escaped from its cage";
          "his flight was an indication of his guilt" [syn: {flight}]
     2: an inclination to retreat from unpleasant realities through
        diversion or fantasy; "romantic novels were her escape
        from the stress of daily life"; "his alcohol problem was a
        form of escapism" [syn: {escapism}]
     3: the unwanted discharge of a fluid from some container; "they
        tried to stop the escape of gas from the damaged pipe";
        "he had to clean up the leak" [syn: {leak}, {leakage}, {outflow}]
     4: a valve in a container in which pressure can build up (as a
        steam boiler); it opens automatically when the pressure
        reaches a dangerous level [syn: {safety valve}, {relief
        valve}, {escape valve}, {escape cock}]
     5: nonperformance of something distasteful (as by deceit or
        trickery) that you are supposed to do; "his evasion of his
        clear duty was reprehensible"; "that escape from the
        consequences is possible but unattractive" [syn: {evasion},
         {dodging}]
     6: an avoidance of danger or difficulty; "that was a narrow
        escape"
     7: a means or way of escaping; "hard work was his escape from
        worry"; "they installed a second hatch as an escape";
        "their escape route"
     8: a plant originally cultivated but now growing wild
     v 1: run away from confinement; "The convicted murderer escaped
          from a high security prison" [syn: {get away}, {break
          loose}]
     2: fail to experience; "Fortunately, I missed the hurricane"
        [syn: {miss}]
     3: escape potentially unpleasant consequences; get away with a
        forbidden action; "She gets away with murder!"; "I
        couldn't get out from under these responsibilities" [syn:
        {get off}, {get away}, {get by}, {get out}]
     4: be incomprehensible to; escape understanding by; "What you
        are seeing in him eludes me" [syn: {elude}]
     5: issue or leak, as from a small opening; "Gas escaped into
        the bedroom"
     6: remove oneself from a familiar environment, usually for
        pleasure or diversion; "We escaped to our summer house for
        a few days"; "The president of the company never manages
        to get away during the summer" [syn: {get away}]
     7: flee; take to one's heels; cut and run; "If you see this
        man, run!"; "The burglars escaped before the police showed
        up" [syn: {run}, {scarper}, {turn tail}, {lam}, {run away},
         {hightail it}, {bunk}, {head for the hills}, {take to the
        woods}, {fly the coop}, {break away}]

Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

ESCAPE
     
         An early system on the {IBM 650}.
     
        [Listed in CACM 2(5):16 (May 1959)].
     
        (1995-01-05)

escape
     
         (ESC) {ASCII} character 27.
     
        When sent by the user, escape is often used to abort execution
        or data entry.  When sent by the computer it often starts an
        {escape sequence}.
     
        (1997-11-27)