ensconce meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

ensconce

verb

UK /ɛnˈskɒns/ · US /ɛnˈskɑns/

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

To place in a secure environment.

She shall not see me, I will ensconce mee behinde the Arras.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]:
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.1876, Mark Twain, chapter IX, in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer:

1 more example

The film [Pretty Woman] grossed $464 million worldwide, ensconcing her [Julia Roberts] in the Hollywood A-list.2014 January 21, Hermione Hoby, “Julia Roberts interview for August: Osage County – ‘I might actually go to hell for this…’”, in The Daily Telegraph (Review section), London: Telegraph Media Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 07 Oct 2024:

To settle comfortably.

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.1941 June, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, pages 261, 263:
[…] Major was already ensconced on his bed of straw, under a lantern which hung from a beam.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:

1 more example

NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen were ensconced in the Orion space capsule when they dropped into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at 8:07 p.m.2026 April 10, Amina Khan, “WATCH LIVE: Artemis II astronauts have splashed down on Earth”, in National Public Radio, Washington, D.C.: National Public Radio: