scaffold

American  

[skaf-uhld, -ohld] / ˈskæf əld, -oʊld /

noun

scaffolds plural

1. a temporary structure for holding workers and materials during the construction, repair, or decoration of a building.

2. an elevated platform on which a criminal is executed, usually by hanging.

3. a raised platform or stage for shows or performances, the seating of spectators, etc.

4. any raised framework or system of such frameworks.

5. a suspended platform used by painters, window washers, and others for working on a tall structure, such as a skyscraper.

6. Cell Biology, Genetics. any of various extracellular framelike components found naturally in genomic material and synthesized for tissue engineering.

7. Metallurgy. any piling or fusion of materials in a blast furnace, obstructing the flow of gases and preventing the uniform descent of the charge.

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verb (used with object)

scaffolds, present (3rd person singular) scaffolded, past participle, past scaffolding present participle

1. to furnish (a building or other structure) with a system of temporary platforms for supporting workers and materials during construction, repairs, cleaning, etc..

   Our team will scaffold the building in order to provide access for restorative work and maintenance.

2. to be the support or foundation for.

   All knowledge is scaffolded by its physical and social contexts.

3. Education.

   1. to aid (learners or their learning) using a method in which support in the application of a new skill is gradually reduced until the individual learner can demonstrate it independently, after which the mastered skill becomes the basis for acquiring the next new skill in a similar way.

      Showing students how to do something can be an effective first step in scaffolding learning.

      The program scaffolds middle-school learners through the scientific inquiry process.

   2. to design (learning materials, curriculum, etc.) to suit this method of instruction.

      This paper explains the model used to scaffold lessons for English language learners.

scaffold British  

/ ˈskæfəld, -fəʊld /

noun

1. a temporary metal or wooden framework that is used to support workmen and materials during the erection, repair, etc, of a building or other construction

2. a raised wooden platform on which plays are performed, tobacco, etc, is dried, or (esp formerly) criminals are executed

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verb

1. to provide with a scaffold

2. to support by means of a scaffold

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• scaffolder
  noun
• unscaffolded
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• scaffolds
  plural

Participles

• scaffolding
  present
• scaffolded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• scaffold
  simple
• scaffolds
  simple
• have scaffolded
  perfect
• has scaffolded
  perfect
• are scaffolding
  progressive
• am scaffolding
  progressive
• is scaffolding
  progressive
• have been scaffolding
  perfect progressive
• has been scaffolding
  perfect progressive

Past

• scaffolded
  simple
• had scaffolded
  perfect
• was scaffolding
  progressive
• were scaffolding
  progressive
• had been scaffolding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will scaffold
  simple
• will have scaffolded
  perfect
• will be scaffolding
  progressive
• will have been scaffolding
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of scaffold

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English scaffalde, scaffot, skaffaut, from Old French escadafaut; akin to catafalque

Explanation

An elevated temporary platform is called a scaffold. The scaffold is used because it is much safer and efficient to have workers and their materials on a platform than scrambling up and down ladders all day. A scaffold is also the platform on which criminals used to be executed publicly by hanging or beheading. If you watch a lot of swashbuckler movies, you'll have seen depictions of a helpless person being threatened with beheading by a villain on a scaffold in a crowded square. Suddenly, out of the crowd a hero appears and saves the day, after which they ride off into the sunset.

Example Sentences

She also discovered that at the time of her surgery, the Seri Surgical Scaffold, although cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for other uses, was not approved for breast reconstruction.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2021

Advances in recent years have made construction sites safer for workers, said DeAnna Martin, executive director of the Scaffold & Access Industry Association, a trade group.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 13, 2021

With Martin on their team, the Scaffold naturally gravitated towards lobbying for Epstein to be their manager, given the long string of successes that George and Brian had enjoyed together.

From Salon • Jul. 28, 2019

Scaffold merging increased the N50 to 410,889 bp and decreased the total length of the assembly to 4.46 Gb.

From Nature • Nov. 14, 2017

And Heaven knows when their soft and sad Caresses would have ended, had not the Officers assur’d him ’twas Time to mount the Scaffold.

From The Works of Aphra Behn Volume V by Summers, Montague

Related Words

• scaffolding
• stage