1. Fleeing from pursuit, danger, restraint, etc, escaping, from service,
duty etc.; as, a
fugitive solder; a
fugitive slave; a
fugitive debtor. "The
fugitive Parthians follow." (Shak) "Can a
fugitive daughter enjoy
herself while her
parents are in tear?" (Richardson) "A libellous
pamphlet of a
fugitive physician." (Sir H. Wotton)
2. Not fixed; not durable;
liable to disappear or
fall away; volatile; uncertain; evanescent;
liable to fade; applied to
material and immaterial things; as,
fugitive colours; a
fugitive idea. "The me more
tender and
fugitive parts, the leaves . . . Of vegatables." (Woodward) Fugitive compositions, Such as are
short and casual, and so published that they quickly
escape notice.
Synonym: Fleeting, unstable, wandering, uncertain, volatile, fugacious, fleeing, evanescent.
Origin: OE. Fugitif, F. Fugitif, fr. L. Fugitivus, fr. Fugere to flee. See Bow to bend, and cf. Feverfew.
Source: Websters Vocabulary