ensconce
ensconce Lexical Profile
ensconce Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To establish or settle someone in a comfortable, safe, or secret place.
"She ensconced herself in the leather armchair by the fireplace with a cup of tea and a novel."
To conceal or shelter someone or something securely (now archaic or literary).
"The scout ensconced himself behind the thick hedgerow until the riders had passed."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Ensconce' is almost exclusively used in the passive voice ('be ensconced in') or reflexively ('ensconce oneself in') to emphasize being settled snugly, safely, or permanently in a particular place or position.
• Rhymes for ensconce
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the late 16th century from the prefix 'en-' and the noun 'sconce' (meaning a small fortification or protective shelter, borrowed from Dutch 'schans'). Originally a military term meaning to fortify or shelter behind a rampart, it later softened to mean settling comfortably into a cozy spot.