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fugitive

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fu⋅gi⋅tive

  [fyoo-ji-tiv]
Use fugitive in a Sentence
–noun
1. a person who is fleeing, from prosecution, intolerable circumstances, etc.; a runaway: a fugitive from justice; a fugitive from a dictatorial regime.
–adjective
2. having taken flight, or run away: a fugitive slave.
3. fleeting; transitory; elusive: fugitive thoughts that could not be formulated.
4. Fine Arts. changing color as a result of exposure to light and chemical substances present in the atmosphere, in other pigments, or in the medium.
5. dealing with subjects of passing interest, as writings; ephemeral: fugitive essays.
6. wandering, roving, or vagabond: a fugitive carnival.
Origin:
1350–1400; < L fugitīvus fleeing, equiv. to fugit(us) (ptp. of fugere to flee) + -īvus -ive; r. ME fugitif < OF

Related forms:
fu⋅gi⋅tive⋅ly, adverb
fu⋅gi⋅tive⋅ness, fu⋅gi⋅tiv⋅i⋅ty, noun

Synonyms:
3. transient, passing, flitting, flying, brief, temporary. 5. momentary, evanescent, trivial, light. 6. straying, roaming.

Antonyms:
3, 4. permanent. 5. lasting.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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fu·gi·tive   (fyōō'jĭ-tĭv)   
adj.  

  1. Running away or fleeing, as from the law.

    1. Lasting only a short time; fleeting: "[His] house and burial place ... should be visited by all who profess even a fugitive interest in political economy" (John Kenneth Galbraith).

    2. Difficult to comprehend or retain; elusive: fugitive solutions to the problem.

    3. Given to change or disappearance; perishable: fugitive beauty.

    4. Of temporary interest: fugitive essays.

  3. Tending to wander; vagabond.

n.  

  1. One who flees; a refugee.

  2. Something fleeting or ephemeral.


[Middle English fugitif, from Old French, from Latin fugitīvus, from fugitus, past participle of fugere, to flee.]
fu'gi·tive·ly adv., fu'gi·tive·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

fugitive 
1382, from O.Fr. fugitif, from L. fugitivus "fleeing" (but commonly used as a noun meaning "runaway"), from stem of fugere "run away, flee," from PIE base *bheug- "to flee" (cf. Gk. pheugein "to flee," Lith. bugstu "be frightened"). Replaced O.E. flyma. From 17c.-19c. Eng. had the useful adj. fugacious "likely to flee."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: fu·gi·tive
Pronunciation: 'fyü-j&-tiv
Function: noun
: a person who flees; especially : a person who flees one jurisdiction (as a state) for another in order to elude law enforcement personnel
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: fu·gi·tive
Pronunciation: 'fyü-j&t-iv
Function: adjective
: tending to be inconstant or transient <fugitiveaches and pains —Berton Roueche>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Bible Dictionary

Fugitive

Gen. 4:12, 14, a rover or wanderer (Heb. n'a); Judg. 12:4, a refugee, one who has escaped (Heb. palit); 2 Kings 25:11, a deserter, one who has fallen away to the enemy (Heb. nophel); Ezek. 17:21, one who has broken away in flight (Heb. mibrah); Isa. 15:5; 43:14, a breaker away, a fugitive (Heb. beriah), one who flees away.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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