eludere

Eludere is a Latin verb meaning to elude, escape, or avoid, often by cleverness, as well as to outwit or slip past an obstacle. In broad sense it covers physical evasion as well as figurative avoidance of problems or questions.

Etymology and meaning: the word comes from the prefix e- “out” and ludere “to play.” The sense develops from “to play out” or outmaneuver, hence to escape from someone or something by skill or dexterity. In classical Latin, eludere is used for both immediate evasion (physical escape) and more abstract forms of avoidance or outwitting.

Grammar and principal parts: eludere is a third-conjugation verb. The typical principal parts are elūdō, elūdere, elūdī, elūsum. The present active indicative forms include elūdō, elūdes, elūdit, elūdemus, elūdetis, elūdent; the imperfect and perfect tenses follow the standard third-conjugation patterns, with the passive forms corresponding accordingly. The present active infinitive is elūdere, and the present passive infinitive is elūderi.

Usage and construction: eludere is transitive and commonly takes a direct object in the accusative representing the person or thing being eluded (for example, “hostem eludit” = “he eludes the enemy”). It can also be used with context that expresses escape from danger, capture, or difficulty, and may appear in both narrative and rhetorical prose. The verb conveys a sense of skillful avoidance rather than mere accident.

See also: related Latin verbs such as evadere and fugere, which emphasize escape or flight, and other expressions of avoidance in Latin literature. eludere appears across classical authors in both prose and poetry to describe physical evasion as well as strategic or rhetorical outmaneuvering.