scaffold
scaffold — noun
1. A temporary framework of metal poles and wooden boards that is built around a bu
A temporary framework of metal poles and wooden boards that is built around a building or other tall structure, giving workers a place to stand while they construct, repair, or clean the upper parts.
The construction workers carefully climbed the metal scaffold to reach the third floor.
climb + scaffold + to reach [location]
A strong wind knocked over the wooden scaffold behind the old church.
Camila refused to work on the scaffold until the safety rails were fixed.
The scaffold outside the office building made it hard for sunlight to enter.
Tariro checked every joint of the scaffold before allowing anyone onto it.
文法句型
a/the scaffold
scaffolds (plural)
用法筆記
In British English, the uncountable form scaffolding is often preferred when referring to the entire structure around a building ('the building was covered in scaffolding'), while a scaffold typically refers to a single platform or standing area within that system.
常見錯誤
2. A platform that is suspended by ropes or cables from the top of a building, brid
A platform that is suspended by ropes or cables from the top of a building, bridge, or ship, allowing workers to reach parts of the structure that are hard to access from the ground.
The window cleaners used a hanging scaffold to reach the top floors of the hotel.
hanging scaffold + used to reach [high location]
Adina felt nervous when the hanging scaffold started to swing in the wind.
The repair team lowered the suspended scaffold slowly down the side of the bridge.
Bao tied the ropes of the hanging scaffold twice before stepping onto the platform.
Safety inspectors examined every cable on the hanging scaffold before work began.
- suspended scaffold
equivalent term, emphasising that the platform hangs from above rather than being supported from below
- swing-stage
a specific type of powered hanging scaffold that workers can raise and lower mechanically
- cradle
a small suspended platform used mainly for window cleaning on tall buildings
文法句型
a/the hanging/suspended scaffold
用法筆記
This sense is less common in everyday speech than the building-scaffold sense. Terms like hanging scaffold, suspended scaffold, and swing-stage are often used interchangeably, though swing-stage usually refers to a powered platform that can move up and down automatically.
3. A raised wooden structure used to carry out the execution of someone sentenced t
A raised wooden structure used to carry out the execution of someone sentenced to death, either by hanging or by beheading, especially in historical or legal contexts.
The prisoner was led up the wooden scaffold in front of the silent crowd.
passive: be led up the scaffold
The novel describes the final moments of a woman who died on the scaffold.
Nellie watched a drama about a rebel leader who was sent to the scaffold.
The executioner stood beside the scaffold and waited for the signal.
During the tour, Min saw the old scaffold still standing in the castle courtyard.
- gallows
narrower meaning — specifically a frame used for execution by hanging, while scaffold covers both hanging and beheading
- block
specifically the wooden block on which a person places their head for beheading; a part of the scaffold rather than the whole structure
- gibbet
a cage or frame in which the body of an executed person was displayed after death
文法句型
the scaffold
be sent/led to the scaffold
die on the scaffold
用法筆記
This sense is almost exclusively found in historical writing, literature, and legal history. In modern contexts, execution is usually discussed through the specific methods (the gallows for hanging, the electric chair, etc.) rather than the generic scaffold.