Final answer:
Escaped defects are errors not caught by testing before software release and found after deployment, indicating gaps in the testing processes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Escaped defects refer to defects in software or a system that were not found by the testing team before the product was released to the end users. The term 'escaped defect' implies that these defects escaped the notice of quality assurance processes and were later discovered after deployment, typically by the users in the production environment.
In software development, it is important to track such defects to understand the effectiveness of testing strategies and to improve quality assurance procedures for future releases.