From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishscaffoldscaf‧fold /ˈskæfəld, -fəʊld $ -fəld, -foʊld/ noun [countable] 1 TBCa structure built next to a wall, for workers to stand on while they build, repair, or paint a building2 SCCa raised structure which was used in the past as a place to kill criminals by hanging them or cutting off their heads3 American EnglishTBC a structure that can be moved up and down to help people work on high buildings SYN cradle British English
Examples from the Corpus
scaffold• Provincial guillotines and scaffolds were dismantled and those not exhibited in museums were broken up and scrapped.• He squeezed in time at the typewriter between the high-rise scaffolds and his duties as husband and father of two sons.• When she did not, a son pleaded for her, so the bemused authorities took her from the scaffold.• Two of the archers picked me up under the armpits and hustled me down the steps of the scaffold.• On the scaffold an unrepentant Jarman boasted of some sixty or seventy murders.• On seeing the scaffold du Barry lost all control.• Spacing the scaffolds opens up the tree so light can penetrate, which encourages fruit production.• Weights can be tied to the scaffolds to pull the branches down to create these angles.Origin scaffold (1200-1300) Old North French escafaut, from Vulgar Latin catafalicum; → CATAFALQUE 