elopement
noun
Elopement — the secret flight of lovers, bound for a hasty marriage
Definition
The act of running away with a lover (usually to get married)
In depth
Elopement is the act of running away with a lover, typically in order to marry, usually in secret and often in defiance of family expectation, social convention, or parental consent. The word carries inherent romance and rebellion in equal measure, evoking both passionate impulsiveness and the courage required to defy expected tradition.
Origin
The word descends from Anglo-Norman aloper, of uncertain ultimate origin, possibly related to Middle English lepen, to run or leap. Its long literary association with secret marriages defying parental or social authority reflects centuries of fiction and drama exploring the tension between individual romantic choice and inherited family expectation.
Usage examples
"Their elopement scandalized both families for years, though the marriage itself proved a happy and lasting one."
"She had always dreamed of elopement, something simple and entirely their own, far from the elaborate wedding her mother had long planned."
"The novel's central elopement, conducted under cover of darkness, sets the entire plot's tragic events in motion."
How to use it
Elopement is vivid, romantic vocabulary suited to fiction, memoir, and casual wedding-related writing, carrying connotations of both rebellion against convention and intimate, simplified celebration of commitment.
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