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sconce2

Syllabification: (sconce)
Pronunciation: /skäns/

Definition of sconce

noun

archaic
  • a small fort or earthwork defending a ford, pass, or castle gate.
  • a shelter or screen serving as protection from fire or the weather.

Origin:

late Middle English: from Dutch schans 'brushwood', from Middle High German schanze. The earliest recorded sense 'screen, interior partition' derives perhaps from sconce1; the later senses date from the late 16th century

sconce in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of sconce in the British & World English dictionary