Sconces

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A light fixture that is mounted on a wall and can hold one or more light sources
2. A decorative wall-mounted holder often used for candles or lamps to provide illumination
3. An object designed for supporting lighting elements, typically adding aesthetic appeal to interior or exterior spaces

Etymology: "Sconces" is the plural of "sconce," and the word has two unrelated histories that happen to have merged. The lighting fixture sense descends from Old French "esconse," meaning "lantern," which came from Latin "absconsus," "hidden," the same root that gives English "abscond." The idea seems to have been of a lantern whose light was shielded or screened, so the name pointed to the protective enclosure rather than the flame itself. A separate word, also "sconce," meant a small fortification or earthwork, borrowed from Middle Dutch "schans," related to German "Schanze." The two were confused over time, and it is unclear whether the lighting sense was influenced by the military one or simply grew apart from it. The word appears in the 1960 P. G. Wodehouse novel "Jeeves in the Offing," where a collector's obsession with old silver includes long lectures on "sconces," an illustration of how the term was used for decorative silverware as well as wall fittings.

Synonyms: wall brackets, light fixtures