[skons] 
| 1. | a bracket for candles or other lights, placed on a wall, mirror, picture frame, etc. |
| 2. | the hole or socket of a candlestick, for holding the candle. |
[skons] noun, verb, sconced, sconc⋅ing.| 1. | Fortification. a small detached fort or defense work, as to defend a pass, bridge, etc. |
| 2. | a protective screen or shelter. |
| 3. | Fortification. to protect with a sconce. |
| 4. | Obsolete. to protect; shelter. |
[skons] verb, sconced, sconc⋅ing, noun | 1. | (at English universities, esp. formerly) to fine (an undergraduate) for a breach of rules or etiquette. |
| 2. | a fine so imposed. |
[skons] | 1. | the head or skull. |
| 2. | sense or wit. |
| sconce 1 (skŏns) n. A small defensive earthwork or fort. [Dutch schans, from German Schanze, from Middle High German.] |
| sconce 2 (skŏns) n.
[Middle English, from Old French esconse, lantern, hiding place, from Medieval Latin scōnsa, from Latin abscōnsa, feminine past participle of abscondere, to hide away : ab-, abs-, away; see ab-1 + condere, to preserve; see dhē- in Indo-European roots.] |
sconce
wooden or metal bracket affixed to a wall and designed to hold candles, lamps, or other types of illumination. One of the earliest forms of lighting fixtures for domestic and public use, sconces first appeared in Classical antiquity, but more elaborate variants were stimulated by the custom that arose in the European Middle Ages of affixing metal sconces holding candles to the walls of churches when they were consecrated. Various elaborations and refinements were added in the 17th century, including mirrors or metal reflectors to intensify the light.
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