ensconce

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.
   • 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]...
   • 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
2. (intransitive, transitive) 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

   Synonyms:

   cuddle up