ensconce means to place in a secure environment. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
ensconce is pronounced /ɛnˈskɒns/.
Why “ensconce” is a great word
ENSCONCE — [Verb] To settle or place securely and comfortably, often in a sheltered or concealed position. From the prefix en- (meaning "to put into") + sconce (from Middle Dutch schans, meaning "fortification, shelter"). First attested in English in the 1580s. Unlike "shelter," which denotes mere protection from harm, or "establish," which implies a public founding, to ensconce is to achieve a private, often cozy fortification. It is the cat curled in the hollow of an armchair, the diary slid beneath a loose floorboard, the child tucked into a window-seat nook with a book—a deliberate retreat into a personal, padded world, a small victory against the exposed and unarranged.
Etymology
From en- + sconce, “to place in a sconce (“fortification”)”.
verb
- To place in a secure environment.“She shall not see me, I will ensconce mee behinde the Arras.”
- 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.”