scaffold

w:All Saints Church, LundAll Saints Church in Lund, Sweden, covered in scaffolding (sense 1) in June 2009

Meanings

Noun

Verb

  • To set up a scaffolding; to surround a building with scaffolding.
  • To sustain; to provide support for.
  • To dispose of the bodies of the dead on a scaffold or raised platform, as by some Native American tribes.

Origin

  • From Middle English scaffold, scaffalde, from Anglo-Norman schaffaut, eschaffaut, eschafal, eschaiphal, escadafaut (Modern French échafaud), from Old French es- ("indicating movement away or separation") (from Latin ex- ("out, away")) + chafaud, chafaut, chafault, caafau, caafaus, cadefaut, from Vulgar Latin *catafalcum ("viewing stage"), possibly from Ancient Greek κατα- ("back; against") + Latin -falicum (from fala, phala).

Modern English dictionary

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