| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| sconce2 |
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| PRONUNCIATION: |  sk ns |
| NOUN: | 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. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English, from Old French esconse, lantern, hiding place, from Medieval Latin sc nsa, from Latin abscnsa, feminine past participle of abscondere, to hide away : ab-, abs-, away; see ab–1 + condere, to preserve; see dh - in Appendix I.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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