scaffold

noun scaf·fold \ ˈska-fəld also -ˌfōld \

|Updated on: 23 Jul 2018

Definition of scaffold

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

See scaffold defined for English-language learners

See scaffold defined for kids

Examples of scaffold in a Sentence

The condemned man was led to the scaffold.

Recent Examples of scaffold from the Web

Next to it, the blue scaffolds of an indoor crane resemble a launchpad gantry.

— sarah scoles, WIRED, "Inside the Test Chamber for NASA's Astronaut Vehicle Double," 12 July 2018
The diagonal beams are like a scaffold that holds in place the condominiums and offices and elevator stacks within.

— john king, SFChronicle.com, "New nimble, frisky SoMa tower fits neatly into surroundings," 6 July 2018
My brother perished on the scaffold, my two sisters departed their painful lives after many years spent languishing in prison, and my two uncles didn’t leave enough to pay for the four planks of their coffins.

— alan riding, New York Times, "The French Revolution Made Him an Exile, and a Writer," 25 May 2018
The department has a limited arsenal of tools to prod owners into action, including fines, ordering scaffolds, and, in extreme cases sending in a city contractor to do the repairs at the owner’s expense.

— sarah maslin nir, New York Times, "Columbia University Is Cited for a Cracked Building Facade, Inviting Memories of a 1979 Death," 4 June 2018
But screens still need scaffolds, and the communal ideal remains central to Los Angeles’s vision of its future self.

— alexandra lange, Curbed, "Lessons from LA’s 1984 Summer Olympics," 17 May 2018
One man in his 50s was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where his condition was stabilized, after he was hit by one of the cables from the scaffold in the incident just before 2:10 p.m., said Larry Merritt, a Fire Department spokesman.

— tony briscoe, chicagotribune.com, "Man hurt, Michigan Avenue closed just north of Millennium Park after scaffold accident," 8 May 2018
Be sure to check all of Home Depot's daily deals, including more step ladders and metal scaffolds.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Today's Best Deals: A Great Time To Update Your Home Entertainment System," 13 Apr. 2018
The metal scaffolds that workers used to apply mud paste to the minarets are too heavy and rigid to assemble around the dome, so a type of bamboo scaffolding, which was used for conservation work in the 1940s, is being considered instead.

— kai schultz, New York Times, "To Rid the Taj Mahal of Its Grime, India Prescribes a Mud Bath," 22 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'scaffold.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of scaffold

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Other Building Terms

batten, cistern, hearth, lath, transom, wainscot

SCAFFOLD Defined for English Language Learners

scaffold

noun

Definition of scaffold for English Language Learners

: a temporary or movable platform or structure on which a person stands or sits while working high above the floor or ground
: a platform or structure on which criminals are killed by being hanged or beheaded

SCAFFOLD Defined for Kids

scaffold

noun scaf·fold \ ˈska-fəld \

Definition of scaffold for Students

1 : a raised platform built as a support for workers and their tools and materials

2 : a platform on which executions take place

Learn More about scaffold

See words that rhyme with scaffold Spanish Central: Translation of scaffold Nglish: Translation of scaffold for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of scaffold for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about scaffold

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scaffold

Definition of scaffold

Examples of scaffold in a Sentence

Recent Examples of scaffold from the Web

Origin and Etymology of scaffold

Other Building Terms

SCAFFOLD Defined for English Language Learners

scaffold

Definition of scaffold for English Language Learners

SCAFFOLD Defined for Kids

scaffold

Definition of scaffold for Students

Learn More about scaffold

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scaffold

Definition of scaffold

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Recent Examples of scaffold from the Web

Origin and Etymology of scaffold

Other Building Terms

SCAFFOLD Defined for English Language Learners

scaffold

Definition of scaffold for English Language Learners

SCAFFOLD Defined for Kids

scaffold

Definition of scaffold for Students

Learn More about scaffold

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