n. | 1. | A fortification, or work for defense; a fort. |
2. | A hut for protection and shelter; a stall. | |
3. | A piece of armor for the head; headpiece; helmet. | |
4. | Fig.: The head; the skull; also, brains; sense; discretion. | |
5. | A poll tax; a mulct or fine. | |
6. | A protection for a light; a lantern or cased support for a candle; hence, a fixed hanging or projecting candlestick. | |
7. | Hence, the circular tube, with a brim, in a candlestick, into which the candle is inserted. | |
8. | (Arch.) A squinch. | |
9. | A fragment of a floe of ice. | |
10. | A fixed seat or shelf. | |
v. t. | 1. | To shut up in a sconce; to imprison; to insconce. |
2. | To mulct; to fine. |
Noun | 1. | sconce - a candlestick with a flat side to be hung on the wall |
2. | sconce - a forbidding stronghold Synonyms: redoubt |