sconce.
A fixture for a light, which holds it and provides a screen against wind or against a naked flame or lightbulb.
Meaning & usage
A fixture for a light, which holds it and provides a screen against wind or against a naked flame or lightbulb.
A fixture for a light, which holds it and provides a screen against wind or against a naked flame or lightbulb. A candlestick (holder for a candle, especially a circular tube, with a brim, into which a candle is inserted), either with a handle for carrying, or with a bracket for attaching to a wall.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English sconce, sconse (“candlestick or lantern (with screen)”), from Old French esconse (“lantern”), from Latin absconsus (“hidden”), perfect passive participle of abscondō (“hide”). Cognate with abscond.
A head or a skull.
A poll tax; a mulct or fine.
An act of sconcing (very similar to a fine at Cambridge University, though a sconce is the act of issuing a penalty rather than the penalty itself).
Where this word comes from
Unclear. Perhaps a use of sconce (“light fixture”) or sconce (“fortification”), but seemingly older than the latter
To impose a fine, a forfeit, or a mulct.
During a meal or as part of a drinking game, to announce some (usually outrageous) deed such that anyone who has done it must drink (similar to I have never; commonly associated with crewdates; very similar to fining at Cambridge University).
I sconce anyone who has ever…
Where this word comes from
Unclear. Perhaps a use of sconce (“light fixture”) or sconce (“fortification”), but seemingly older than the latter
A type of small fort or other fortification, especially as built to defend a pass or ford.
A hut for protection and shelter; a stall.
A squinch.
A fragment of a floe of ice.
A fixed seat or shelf.
Where this word comes from
Borrowed from Middle Dutch schans, cognate with German Schanze.
To shut within a sconce; to imprison.
Where this word comes from
Borrowed from Middle Dutch schans, cognate with German Schanze.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.