scaffold

English

Etymology

Middle English scaffold, scaffalde, from Medieval Latin scaffaldus, from Old French eschaffaut, escadafaut (“platform to see a tournament”), from Late Latin scadafaltum, from ex- + *cadafaltum, catafalcum (“view-stage”), from Old Italian *catare (“to view, see”) + falco (“a stage”), a variant of balco (“stage, beam, balk”), from Lombardic palko, palcho (“scaffold, balk, beam”), from Proto-Germanic *balkô (“beam, rafter”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhelg- (“beam, plank”). Akin to Old High German balco, balcho (“scaffold, balk, beam”). More at catafalque, balcony, balk.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈskæfəʊld/
• (US) IPA: /ˈskæfəld/ or IPA: /ˈskæfl ̩d/

Noun

scaffold (plural scaffolds)

1. A structure made of scaffolding, for workers to stand on while working on a building.
2. An elevated platform on which a criminal is executed.
3. (metalworking) An accumulation of adherent, partly fused material forming a shelf or dome-shaped obstruction above the tuyeres in a blast furnace.

Derived terms

• go to the scaffold
• send to the scaffold
• superscaffold, superscaffolding

Translations

structure made of scaffolding, for workers to stand on while working on a building

• Czech: lešení (cs) n
• Danish: stillads n
• Dutch: stelling (nl) f
• French: échafaud (fr) m
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Gerüst (de) n
• Greek: σκαλωσιά (el) (skalosiá) f
• Hungarian: állványzat (hu)
• Italian: impalcatura (it) m, ponteggio (it) m

• Manx: scammalt (gv) m
• Norwegian: stillas (no) n
• Polish: rusztowanie (pl) n
• Portuguese: andaime (pt) m
• Russian: леса (ru) (l'esá) m pl, подмостки (ru) (podmóstki) m pl
• Serbo-Croatian: skele (sh) pl
• Spanish: andamio (es)
• Swedish: byggnadsställning (sv) c

platform for executions

• Czech: šibenice (cs) f
• Danish: skafot (da) n
• Dutch: schavot (nl) n
• French: échafaud (fr) m
• German: Schafott (de) n
• Greek: ικρίωμα (el) (ikríoma) n
• Italian: patibolo (it) m
• Manx: criy (gv) m

• Norwegian: skafott (no) n
• Polish: szafot (pl) m
• Portuguese: cadafalso (pt) m
• Romanian: eșafod (ro) n
• Russian: эшафот (ru) (ešafót) m
• Spanish: horca (es), patíbulo (es), cadalso (es)
• West Frisian: skavot (fy) n

Verb

scaffold (third-person singular simple present scaffolds, present participle scaffolding, simple past and past participle scaffolded)

1. (transitive) To set up a scaffolding; to surround a building with scaffolding.

Derived terms

• scaffoldage
• scaffolder
• scaffolding

Translations

set up scaffolding

• Dutch: een stelling (nl) bouwen (nl)

• French: échafauder (fr)

External links

• scaffold in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• scaffold in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• scaffold at OneLook Dictionary Search