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sconce¹

(skŏns)

A small defensive earthwork or fort.

[Dutch schans, from German Schanze, from Middle High German schanse, schantze, bundle of twigs, wattle, sconse (such as made from earth and wattle), of unknown origin.]

sconce²

(skŏns)

1. A decorative wall bracket for holding candles or lights.

2. A flattened candlestick that has a handle.

3. Slang The human head or skull.

[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 the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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