English▸ verb [no object] leave hurriedly and secretly, typically to avoid detection of or arrest for an unlawful action such as theft:
she absconded with the remaining thousand dollars.
▪ (of a person on bail) fail to surrender oneself for custody at the appointed time:
charges of absconding while on bail.
▪ (of a person kept in detention or under supervision) escape:
176 detainees absconded.
▪ (of a colony of honeybees, especially Africanized ones) entirely abandon a hive or nest.
– ORIGIN mid 16th century (in the sense ‘hide, conceal oneself’): from Latin abscondere ‘hide’, from ab- ‘away, from’ + condere ‘stow’.