With that -ate at the end, it's a good guess that absquatulate is a verb. And with squat right there in the middle, you might think it has something to do with sitting down and staying there.
But there's that negating ab- at the beginning — the same one that's at the beginning of abnormal.
You put those pieces together — a verb that means "not squatting" — and you get a rough idea of what the word really means. Because that's all there really is to its etymology.
Absquatulate is a nineteenth-century American coinage based on ab- + squat. It means to exit clandestinely or hurriedly.
People are often said to absquatulate with something, like the secret recipe, the enemy's plans, or your brother's kidney, but it's perfectly acceptable to absquatulate from a church service when your irritable bowel syndrome kicks into high gear.
It's a great, useful word, and so much fun to say! Absquatulate today!