/ ˈskæfəʊld; NAmE -foʊld/ noun
1.
a platform used when executing criminals by cutting off their heads or hanging them from a rope
2.
a structure made of scaffolding , for workers to stand on when they are working on a building
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (denoting a temporary platform from which to repair or erect a building): from Anglo-Norman French , from Old French (e)schaffaut , from the base of catafalque .