sconce

1
[ skons ]
See synonyms for: sconcesconcedsconcing on Thesaurus.com

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 of sconce

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English sconce, sconse, from Old French esconce, or directly from Medieval Latin scōnsa, shortening of abscōnsa, noun use of feminine past participle of abscondere “to conceal”; see origin at abscond

Words Nearby sconce

Other definitions for sconce (2 of 4)

sconce2
[ skons ]

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),sconced, sconc·ing.
  1. Fortification. to protect with a sconce.

  2. Obsolete. to protect; shelter.

Origin of sconce

2
First recorded in 1565–75; from Dutch schans, from German Schanze “entrenchment, fieldwork,” originally “bundle of sticks or wood; fagot”; see ensconce

Other definitions for sconce (3 of 4)

sconce3
[ skons ]

verb (used with object),sconced, sconc·ing.
  1. (at English universities, especially formerly) to fine (an undergraduate) for a breach of rules or etiquette.

noun
  1. a fine so imposed.

Origin of sconce

3
First recorded in 1610–20; origin uncertain

Other definitions for sconce (4 of 4)

sconce4
[ skons ]

noun
  1. the head or skull.

  2. sense or wit.

Origin of sconce

4
First recorded in 1560–70; origin uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sconce in a sentence

  • The person who cares for things unusual will find the candle sconce made of a cowhorn a suitable fixture for the den.

  • He placed the candle in a sconce on the wall, and then turned to the three.

    Sue, A Little Heroine | L. T. Meade
  • A silver griffin of a sconce near by held a light in its claws, which fell full upon Cimburga and the miller's son.

    The Court Jester | Cornelia Baker
  • Here and there a torch glimmered in a sconce against the wall, or a surgeon with a candle in his hand paused at a bedside.

    Joan of the Sword Hand | S(amuel) R(utherford) Crockett
  • He shut the window, drew curtains over it, switched off the lighted sconce, and went up-stairs.

British Dictionary definitions for sconce (1 of 4)

sconce1

/ (skɒns) /


noun
  1. a bracket fixed to a wall for holding candles or lights

  2. a flat candlestick with a handle

Origin of sconce

1
C14: from Old French esconse hiding place, lantern, or from Late Latin sconsa, from absconsa dark lantern

British Dictionary definitions for sconce (2 of 4)

sconce2

/ (skɒns) /


noun
  1. a small protective fortification, such as an earthwork

Origin of sconce

2
C16: from Dutch schans, from Middle High German schanze bundle of brushwood

British Dictionary definitions for sconce (3 of 4)

sconce3

/ (skɒns) ((at Oxford and Cambridge Universities, esp formerly)) /


verb(tr)
  1. to challenge (a fellow student) on the grounds of a social misdemeanour to drink a large quantity of beer without stopping

  2. obsolete to fine (a student) for some minor misdemeanour

noun
  1. the act of sconcing

  2. a mug or tankard used in sconcing

Origin of sconce

3
C17: of obscure origin

British Dictionary definitions for sconce (4 of 4)

sconce4

/ (skɒns) /


nounarchaic
  1. the head or skull

  2. sense, brain, or wit

Origin of sconce

4
C16: probably jocular use of sconce 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012