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scaffold

Etymology and origin of the English word scaffold

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈskæf.əld/, /ˈskæf.əʊld/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English scaffold, borrowed from Anglo-Norman scaffald,[2][3][4][5][6] from a variant of Old French eschafaut,[3][4][5] altered from chafaut,[3][4][5] from Vulgar Latin *catafalicum,[3][4][5] from Greek kata- and fala “wooden siege tower”.[4] It is related to catafalque.[3][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A temporary platform on which builders stand at a height (1349 in the OED; 1354 in Barnhart);[7][3][4] it appears as a surname in 1299.[3]

Semantic evolution

From the late 14th century the word meant a raised platform for exhibiting persons or actions to the public, such as a stage for plays (c. 1386)[7][4] and a stand for spectators (1470–85).[7] It was used of a platform for beheading from the mid-15th century and for any execution from 1557, as in to go to the scaffold.[4][7] The verb dates from before 1548.[7][3]

Timeline

  • 1349 – a builders' platform.[7]
  • c. 1386 – a stage or public platform.[7]
  • mid-15th century – a platform for beheading.[4]
  • 1557 – a platform for execution.[7]
  • before 1548 – verb.[7][3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A temporary platform, supported from below or suspended from above, on which workers stand when working at a height.
  2. A platform on which condemned prisoners are executed, as by hanging or beheading.
  3. A raised framework or platform; also, any supporting framework.

Verb

  1. To provide or support with a scaffold.
  2. To place on a raised framework.

Word family

  • scaffolding
  • catafalque
  • gallows
  • platform

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Scaffold.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/scaffold. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·