sconce
1
9.9
- noun
- /skɒns/
- Archaic
Examples
-
He picked the taper out of its sconce, then lit his pipe.
Fiction book (1993) -
He racked the torch in a sconce and marched his men back up the stairs.
Fiction book (1992) -
"I've been shot before," des Laumes told him, shrugging with indifference, and Jimmerson pulled the trigger, aiming high, blowing the hell out of a brass wall sconce with a glass shade.
Fiction book (1998) -
The soldiers took cover behind the old stone sconce during the battle, using it as a protective shelter.
-
In the historic fort, each room featured a handmade sconce, offering soldiers a small refuge from enemy fire.
-
As they explored the ancient castle, they found a sconce built into the wall, designed to shield its occupants from arrows.
Synonyms
5
4.9
A small building at an entrance where guards stay and sometimes keep prisoners
1
3.1
A small temporary building where soldiers sleep and live during training or war
1
5.0
A small shelter with an open front where a guard stands
1
6.8
A small temporary shelter soldiers use while in the field
How Strong
Surface Forms
Etymology
Sconce comes from an old French word esconce meaning 'a hiding place'. It was used for a small protective shelter or fort where soldiers could 'hide' from the enemy, so a sconce still means a little fort or protective shelter today.