ensconce

English

WOTD – 19 October 2006

Etymology

From en- +‎ sconce, “to place in a sconce (“fortification”)”.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɛnˈskɒns/
• (US) enPR: ĭn-skäns', IPA^(key): /ɛnˈskɑns/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒns

Verb

ensconce (third-person singular simple present ensconces, present participle ensconcing, simple past and past participle ensconced)

1. (transitive) To place in a secure environment.
   • c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:

     She shall not see me, I will ensconce mee behinde the Arras.

   • 1876, Mark Twain, chapter IX, in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer:

     They found the sharp new heap they were seeking, and ensconced themselves within the protection of three great elms that grew in a bunch within a few feet of the grave.

   • 2014 January 21, Hermione Hoby, “Julia Roberts interview for August: Osage County – 'I might actually go to hell for this ...': Julia Roberts reveals why her violent, Oscar-nominated performance in August: Osage County made her feel 'like a terrible person' [print version: 'I might actually go to hell for this ...' (18 January 2014, p. R4)]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Review)‎^[1]:

     The film grossed $464 million worldwide, ensconcing her in the Hollywood A-list.

2. (intransitive) To settle comfortably.
   • 1941 June, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, pages 261, 263:

     So many invitations had been extended to this premiére that the train was pretty nearly full; [...] the press and other guests distributed themselves over the remaining accommodation, and I ensconced myself in a facing window seat in one of the compartments of the third-class brake next the tender.

   • 1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLC:

     […] Major was already ensconced on his bed of straw, under a lantern which hung from a beam.

Usage notes

• Particularly used in the form ensconced, as in “she was ensconced in an armchair.”

Synonyms

• (settle comfortably): cuddle up

Translations

to place in a secure environment

• Dutch: veilig wegbergen,
• German: sicher unterbringen
• Russian: укрыва́ть (ru) impf (ukryvátʹ), укры́ть (ru) pf (ukrýtʹ)

to settle comfortably

• Dutch: nestelen (nl)
• German: bequem machen, niederlassen (de)
• Russian: устра́иваться (ru) impf (ustráivatʹsja), устро́иться (ru) pf (ustróitʹsja)
• Spanish: instalarse (es)

Further reading

• “ensconce”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “ensconce”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “ensconce”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• “ensconce”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.