scaffolder

American  

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

noun

1. a person who puts up scaffolding, a system of temporary connected platforms used to support workers and materials during construction, repair, or maintenance of a building.

   As a scaffolder I work both indoors and outdoors, often at extreme heights—it’s exciting, but physically demanding.

2. a teacher who practices the method of instruction known as scaffolding, in which the learner is supported in the application of each new skill until they can demonstrate it independently and use it to acquire the next skill.

   The scaffolder does not “teach” so much as model the task, manage the learning environment, and oversee activities.

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Etymology

Origin of scaffolder

First recorded in 1860–70; scaffold ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

"From working as a scaffolder in Port Talbot steelworks, to pulling on that famous red jersey," he said in his post.

From Barron's • Jan. 23, 2026

Over the years, White had brief periods of employment as a scaffolder and gardener.

From BBC • Jun. 26, 2023

It’s a fitness feedback loop that has ensnared Johnny Edwin, 22, a linebacker-size scaffolder from British Columbia, Canada.

From New York Times • Mar. 5, 2022

Louis Hedley worked as a scaffolder in his home country, according to The Miami Herald, and he played Australian rules football there before giving the American version of the sport a try.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 6, 2019

The navvy, the scaffolder, the costermonger, the cab-tout—innumerable would be the varieties of texture, of fold, of knot, observed in the ranks of unskilled labour.

From The Nether World by Gissing, George