évadée

Évadée is the feminine form of the French noun évadé, referring to a person who has escaped from confinement, especially from prison or detention. The masculine counterpart is évadé. In usage, évadée is used in journalism, historical accounts, and narrative prose to denote someone who has broken free from custody. The term emphasizes the act of escaping rather than the broader status of being at large; in many contexts a more general word such as fugitif or en fuite may also apply, depending on whether the emphasis is on escape or ongoing pursuit.

Etymology: Évadée comes from the verb évader, itself derived from Latin evadere, from ex- ‘out’ and vadere ‘to go’. The feminine form is évadée to agree with a feminine subject.

Notes: The phrase "une évadée" can be used for a woman who escaped, and is commonly found in news reports about prison escapes or in literary descriptions of female characters who escape confinement. It is not typically used for someone who fled an ordinary situation, where terms like s’échapper or en fuite might be preferred.

See also: évadé, s’échapper, evader; fugitif, fugitive; fuite.