Ensconcing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Placing oneself or someone else comfortably and securely in a safe or private location
2. Establishing a person or object snugly and firmly in a particular spot to ensure protection or privacy
3. Arranging oneself or another in a cozy, secure position often out of sight or shielded from disturbance

Etymology: "Ensconcing" is the present participle of "ensconce," and the verb is built from a simple recipe: the prefix en-, meaning "in" or "into," joined to "sconce." Here "sconce" meant a fortification, a small protective work such as a bulwark or earthwork, so to ensconce originally meant to shelter someone or something inside such a defensive position. The sense of physical protection is still visible in the modern meaning, which describes settling into a place so snugly that you seem fortified there against the outside world. The "sconce" in question is a distinct word from the wall-mounted candleholder of the same spelling, which comes from a different source. Readers encountering the two spellings together often assume they are related, but the fortress sense is the one behind "ensconce."

Synonyms: settling, nestling, establishing

Antonyms: displacing, unsettling