sconce

IPA: skˈɑns

A fixture for a light, which holds it and provides a screen against wind or against a naked flame or lightbulb.
A candlestick (holder for a candle, especially a circular tube, with a brim, into which a candle is inserted), either with a handle for carrying, or with a bracket for attaching to a wall.
A head or a skull.
A poll tax; a mulct or fine.
(Oxford University slang) An act of sconcing; very similar to a fine at Cambridge University, though a sconce is the act of issuing a penalty rather than the penalty itself.
A type of small fort or other fortification, especially as built to defend a pass or ford.
(obsolete) A hut for protection and shelter; a stall.
(architecture) A squinch.
A fragment of a floe of ice.
A fixed seat or shelf.

(obsolete) To impose a fine, a forfeit, or a mulct.
(Oxford University slang) During a meal or as part of a drinking game, to announce some (usually outrageous) deed such that anyone who has done it must drink; similar to I have never; commonly associated with crewdates; very similar to fining at Cambridge University.
(obsolete) to shut within a sconce; to imprison.

Examples of "sconce" in Sentences

She fidgeted and her eyes joined Steph's on the sconce.
Her eyes were still on the sconce and she appeared to be talking to herself.
Historic-style phone sconce at Wisconsin and Massachusetts avenues, after dark.
As one turns the face of the sconce, a splash of light is unleashed onto the wall.
Generally, you want a sconce to be high enough on a staircase wall that you don't accidentally bump against it.
TOO HIGH | When a sconce is too high on the wall, you see a naked bulb under the shade, which is always a no-no.
She spotted the source of the smell in a sconce hanging halfway up the wall in the hallway across from the couches.
The maximum amount of light that the sconce emits (this is the case in the last picture) is enough to create a nice, peaceful atmosphere.
Daily Pic: A wall sconce by Washington sculptor Dan Steinhilber, seen recently on a wall at G Fine Art, where his latest show lauches on Oct. 30.
The most important thing to remember is that the sconce should not be so high that you see the light bulb peeking out from under the shade when passing by.