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Added 9 October 2026

sconce

/skɒns/ noun

Latin root: absconsus Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about sconce at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A shelter or screen providing protection from enemy fire or from the weather.
A small fort or earthwork defending a ford, pass, or castle gate.
A candle or flaming torch secured in a sconce.

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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