scaffolding

noun

1. (uncountable, usually)A temporary modular system of tubes, bamboo or wood forming a framework used to support people and material in the construction or repair of buildings and other large structures.

   “[…] transparent scaffoldings partially draped with often hallucinatory nets of lines, gouges, hatching and cross-hatching that somehow also depict varying degrees of flesh, features and expression.”

   “On the day of RAIL 's site visit, in heavy weather, the scaffolding and decking that engineers stand on were submerged deep under choppy water, with work suspended. "We have to work around the tides," explained Project Director Alan Venables. "The wind pushes the tide up and the waves get larger. That causes some problems with the scaffold."”

2. (uncountable, usually)Source code etc. that is incomplete and serves as a basis for further development.
3. (figuratively, uncountable, usually)Any framework or support.

   “We refer to the process by which socialization agents support emotional activity within the child as emotional scaffolding.”

verb

1. (form-of, gerund, participle, present)present participle and gerund of scaffold