Sconce

Sconce Sconce, n. [D. schans, OD. schantse, perhaps from OF. esconse a hiding place, akin to esconser to hide, L. absconsus, p. p. of abscondere. See {Abscond}, and cf. {Ensconce}, {Sconce} a candlestick.] 1. A fortification, or work for defense; a fort. [1913 Webster]

No sconce or fortress of his raising was ever known either to have been forced, or yielded up, or quitted. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

2. A hut for protection and shelter; a stall. [1913 Webster]

One that . . . must raise a sconce by the highway and sell switches. --Beau. & Fl. [1913 Webster]

3. A piece of armor for the head; headpiece; helmet. [1913 Webster]

I must get a sconce for my head. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

4. Fig.: The head; the skull; also, brains; sense; discretion. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster]

To knock him about the sconce with a dirty shovel. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

5. A poll tax; a mulct or fine. --Johnson. [1913 Webster]

6. [OF. esconse a dark lantern, properly, a hiding place. See Etymol. above.] A protection for a light; a lantern or cased support for a candle; hence, a fixed hanging or projecting candlestick. [1913 Webster]

Tapers put into lanterns or sconces of several-colored, oiled paper, that the wind might not annoy them. --Evelyn. [1913 Webster]

Golden sconces hang not on the walls. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

7. Hence, the circular tube, with a brim, in a candlestick, into which the candle is inserted. [1913 Webster]

8. (Arch.) A squinch. [1913 Webster]

9. A fragment of a floe of ice. --Kane. [1913 Webster]

10. [Perhaps a different word.] A fixed seat or shelf. [Prov. Eng.] [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Synonyms:

Cover, shelter, protection / Candle-holder, candelabrum / Bulwark, fort, defence, block-house, fortification / Helmet, head-piece / Skull, head / Brains, sense, judgment, discretion / Mulct, fine, poll-tax / Top, head / Seat, shelf

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sconce — sconce, scons(e), skons ou skun(k)s n. m. Fourrure de la moufette. ⇒SCONCE, SCONS(E), SKUNKS, SKUNGS, (SCONS, SCONSE)subst. masc. Fourrure fournie par les carnass … Encyclopédie Universelle
Sconce — Sconce, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Sconced}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Sconcing}.] 1. To shut up in a sconce; to imprison; to insconce. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Immure him, sconce him, barricade him in t. Marston. [1913 Webster] 2. To mulct; to fine. [Obs.] Milton … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Sconce — may refer to any of the following: * Sconce (fortification), a military fortification * Sconce (light fixture) * Sconcing, imposing a penalty in the form of drink * SCoNCe, Secure Computing and Networking Center, University of California, Irvine … Wikipedia
sconce — index fine, penalty Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
sconce — [skɔns US ska:ns] n [Date: 1300 1400; : Old French; Origin: esconse screen for a light , from escondre to hide , from Latin abscondere; ABSCOND] an object that is attached to a wall and holds ↑candles or electric lights … Dictionary of contemporary English
sconce — [ skans ] noun count an object attached to a wall for holding a light or candle … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
sconce — late 14c., candlestick with a screen, aphetic of O.Fr. esconse lantern, hiding place, from M.L. sconsa, from L. absconsa, fem. pp. of abscondere to hide. Meaning metal bracket candlestick fastened to a wall is recorded from mid 15c … Etymology dictionary
sconce — ► NOUN ▪ a candle holder attached to a wall with an ornamental bracket. ORIGIN Old French esconse lantern , from Latin absconsa laterna dark lantern … English terms dictionary
sconce — sconce1 [skäns] n. [ME sconse, aphetic < OFr esconse, dark lantern < pp. of escondre, to hide < L abscondere: see ABSCOND] a bracket attached to a wall for holding a candle, candles, or the like sconce2 [skäns] n. [Du schans, fortress,… … English World dictionary
sconce — Effectively, English now only has one word sconce in general use, although others have come and gone in the past. That is the noun meaning ‘candlestick’ or ‘wall bracket for a light’ [14]. It originally denoted a ‘lantern’ or ‘covered… … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

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Sconce

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Sconce

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