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sconce - 10 dictionary results
sconce
1
[skons] 
–noun
| 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. |
Origin:
1350–1400; ME sconce, sconse (< OF esconce) < ML scōnsa, aph. var. of abscōnsa, n. use of fem. ptp. of abscondere to conceal; see abscond
1350–1400; ME sconce, sconse (< OF esconce) < ML scōnsa, aph. var. of abscōnsa, n. use of fem. ptp. of abscondere to conceal; see abscond
sconce
2 [skons] noun, verb, sconced, sconc⋅ing.–noun
| 1. | Fortification. a small detached fort or defense work, as to defend a pass, bridge, etc. |
| 2. | a protective screen or shelter. |
–verb (used with object)
| 3. | Fortification. to protect with a sconce. |
| 4. | Obsolete. to protect; shelter. |
Origin:
1565–75; < D schans < G Schanze, orig. bundle of wood; cf. ensconse
1565–75; < D schans < G Schanze, orig. bundle of wood; cf. ensconse
sconce
3 [skons] verb, sconced, sconc⋅ing, noun –verb (used with object)
| 1. | (at English universities, esp. formerly) to fine (an undergraduate) for a breach of rules or etiquette. |
–noun
| 2. | a fine so imposed. |
Origin:
1610–20; orig. uncert.
1610–20; orig. uncert.
sconce
4 [skons] –noun
| 1. | the head or skull. |
| 2. | sense or wit. |
Origin:
1560–70; orig. uncert.
1560–70; orig. uncert.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To sconce
| 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.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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. No sconce or fortress of his raising was ever known either to have been forced, or yielded up, or quitted. --Milton. 2. A hut for protection and shelter; a stall. One that . . . must raise a sconce by the highway and sell switches. --Beau. & Fl. 3. A piece of armor for the head; headpiece; helmet. I must get a sconce for my head. --Shak. 4. Fig.: The head; the skull; also, brains; sense; discretion. [Colloq.] To knock him about the sconce with a dirty shovel. --Shak. 5. A poll tax; a mulct or fine. --Johnson. 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. Tapers put into lanterns or sconces of several-colored, oiled paper, that the wind might not annoy them. --Evelyn. Golden sconces hang not on the walls. --Dryden. 7. Hence, the circular tube, with a brim, in a candlestick, into which the candle is inserted. 8. (Arch.) A squinch. 9. A fragment of a floe of ice. --Kane. 10. [Perhaps a different word.] A fixed seat or shelf. [Prov. Eng.]
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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sconce
c.1392, "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 c.1450.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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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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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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