English
sconce
Sconce comes from Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- ‘to give’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deh₃-‘to give’root as named · steps between not traced
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sconce
- Englishearliest quotation 1644same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deh₃-‘to give’root as named · steps between not traced
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sconce
- Englishearliest quotation 1644same form
Earliest quotation: 1644, [Diary entry for 23 November 1644]: “[…]tapers put into lanterns or sconces of several-coloured, oiled…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- ‘to give’
data, date, add, die, addition, rent, delicious, tradition, dose, surrender, donate, vent, vendor, donation, render, donor, dow, treason, additive, rendezvous, rendition, antidote, anecdote, dowry, addendum, dowager, condone, dative, endow, dower, perdition, dacha, dati, 39 more
Another origin of sconce
- Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500schans
- Englishtodaysconce
Today it means
noun A fixture for a light, which holds it and provides a screen against wind or against a naked flame or lightbulb.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- / sconce