<p><strong>Noun</strong></p><ul><li>A temporary structure for holding workers and materials during the construction, repair, or decoration of a building.</li><li>An elevated platform on which a criminal is executed, usually by hanging.</li><li>A raised platform or stage for shows or performances, the seating of spectators, etc.</li><li>Any raised framework or system of such frameworks.</li><li>A suspended platform used by painters, window washers, and others for working on a tall structure, such as a skyscraper.</li><li>Cell Biology, Genetics: Any of various extracellular framelike components found naturally in genomic material and synthesized for tissue engineering.</li><li>Metallurgy: Any piling or fusion of materials in a blast furnace, obstructing the flow of gases and preventing the uniform descent of the charge.</li></ul><p><strong>Verb</strong></p><ul><li>(Used with object) To furnish (a building or other structure) with a system of temporary platforms for supporting workers and materials during construction, repairs, cleaning, etc.: Our team will scaffold the building in order to provide access for restorative work and maintenance.</li><li>To be the support or foundation for: All knowledge is scaffolded by its physical and social contexts.</li><li>Education: To aid (learners or their learning) using a method in which support in the application of a new skill is gradually reduced until the individual learner can demonstrate it independently, after which the mastered skill becomes the basis for acquiring the next new skill in a similar way: Showing students how to do something can be an effective first step in scaffolding learning.</li><li>The program scaffolds middle-school learners through the scientific inquiry process.</li><li>To design (learning materials, curriculum, etc.) to suit this method of instruction: This paper explains the model used to scaffold lessons for English language learners.</li></ul>