elopement

elope +‎ -ment

• IPA^(key): /ɪˈloʊpmənt/

elopement (countable and uncountable, plural elopements)

1. The act of running away from home with a paramour.
   • 1814 July, [Jane Austen], chapter LXVI, in Mansfield Park: […], volume III, London: […] T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 287:

     You may not have heard of the last blow—Julia's elopement; she is gone to Scotland with Yates.

   • 1869, Louisa May Alcott, chapter 27, in Little Women:

     […] Jo […] was already deep in the concoction of her story, being unable to decide whether the duel should come before the elopement or after the murder.

2. The act of running away secretly for the purpose of getting married.
3. The act of running away from home (for any reason).
4. (pathology) The act of a person with dementia wandering away from the area where they are safe.