scaffold

noun

scaf·​fold ˈska-fəld 

 also  -ˌfōld

1

a

: a temporary or movable platform for workers (such as bricklayers, painters, or miners) to stand or sit on when working at a height above the floor or ground

b

: a platform on which a criminal is executed (as by hanging or beheading)

c

: a platform at a height above ground or floor level

2

: a supporting framework

Examples of scaffold in a Sentence

The condemned man was led to the scaffold.

Recent Examples on the Web

These scaffold branches help support new growth and keep those large, heavy blooms upright. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 8 Dec. 2024

Day after day, the nuns were brought to a scaffold in the center of town, while crowds gathered to watch. —Amelia Soth, JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2024

Trees that lose the majority of their scaffold branches can’t grow enough replacement foliage to support the tree through another growing season. —Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Sep. 2024

Attached to the scaffolds are compounds called amines. —Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French scaffald, alteration of Old French eschaafauz, escafaut, alteration of chaafaut, from Vulgar Latin *catafalicum — more at catafalque

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

scaffold

noun

scaf·​fold ˈskaf-əld 

 also  -ˌōld

1

a

: an elevated platform built as a support for workers

b

: a platform on which a criminal is executed

2

: a supporting framework