scaffold

[ skaf-uhld, -ohld ]

noun

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.

verb (used with object)

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

/ 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

verb

1. to provide with a scaffold
2. to support by means of a scaffold

Derived Forms

• ˈscaffolder, noun

Other Words From

• un·scaf·fold·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of scaffold¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of scaffold¹

C14: from Old French eschaffaut, from Vulgar Latin catafalicum (unattested); see catafalque

Example Sentences

McAdams said she had to scramble down from a scaffold near the rally stage in order to get accounts from people in the crowd.

From Los Angeles Times

However, there is a long-standing problem: metal nodes in MOFs direct the framework structure, rather like joints in a scaffold.

From Science Daily

"We were able to fine-tune the 5-MeO-DMT/serotonin scaffold to obtain the maximum activity at the 5-HT1A interface and minimal activity at 5-HT2A," explains senior author Daniel Wacker, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmacological Sciences and Neuroscience at Icahn Mount Sinai.

From Science Daily

Provided with nutrients and a scaffold for support, these cells multiply and differentiate into muscle tissue over the course of several weeks.

From Salon

In historian Geoffrey Robertson’s book, “The Tyrannicide Brief: The Story of the Man Who Sent Charles I to the Scaffold,” the author recounted how a judge told the jury to reconsider their not-guilty verdict.

From Salon

Related Words

• scaffolding
• stage