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

To set off biomineralization, the team placed the scaffold in a growing medium with urea and calcium. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Apr. 2025

The team found that the microorganisms in the scaffold remained alive and metabolically active for a minimum of four weeks. —New Atlas, 21 Apr. 2025

Instead, in a process called external fixation, doctors pushed metal pins through the skin and into the bone; the pins were attached to a scaffold outside the body. —Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025

Related article Scientists warn of ‘unprecedented’ risks of research into mirror life The study authors introduced bacteria capable of producing calcium carbonate — the same chemical compound found in coral, eggshells and limestone — to the fungal mycelium, which served as scaffolds. —Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 30 Apr. 2025

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

Rhymes for scaffold

• baffled

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