structure

[ struhk-cher ]

noun

1. mode of building, construction, or organization; arrangement of parts, elements, or constituents:

   a pyramidal structure.

   Synonyms: configuration, form, system

2. something built or constructed, as a building, bridge, or dam.
3. a complex system considered from the point of view of the whole rather than of any single part:

   the structure of modern science.

4. anything composed of parts arranged together in some way; an organization.
5. the relationship or organization of the component parts of a work of art or literature:

   the structure of a poem.

6. Biology. mode of organization; construction and arrangement of tissues, parts, or organs.
7. Geology.
   1. the attitude of a bed or stratum or of beds or strata of sedimentary rocks, as indicated by the dip and strike.
   2. the coarser composition of a rock, as contrasted with its texture.
8. Chemistry. the manner in which atoms in a molecule are joined to each other, especially in organic chemistry where molecular arrangement is represented by a diagram or model.
9. Sociology. social structure.
10. the pattern of organization of a language as a whole or of arrangements of linguistic units, as phonemes, morphemes or tagmemes, within larger units.

verb (used with object)

, struc·tured, struc·tur·ing.

1. to give a structure, organization, or arrangement to; construct or build a systematic framework for:

   to structure a curriculum so well that a novice teacher can use it.

structure

/ ˈstrʌktʃə /

noun

1. a complex construction or entity
2. the arrangement and interrelationship of parts in a construction, such as a building
3. the manner of construction or organization

   the structure of society

4. biology morphology; form
5. chem the arrangement of atoms in a molecule of a chemical compound

   the structure of benzene

6. geology the way in which a mineral, rock, rock mass or stratum, etc, is made up of its component parts
7. rare.
   the act of constructing

verb

1. tr to impart a structure to

Other Words From

• de·structure verb (used with object) destructured destructuring
• inter·structure noun
• non·structure noun
• pre·structure verb (used with object) prestructured prestructuring

Word History and Origins

Origin of structure¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin structūra, equivalent to struct(us) (past participle of struere “to put together”) + -ūra noun suffix; -ure

Word History and Origins

Origin of structure¹

C15: from Latin structūra, from struere to build

Synonym Study

See building.

Example Sentences

That "market structure" is the result of big insurers, PBMs, and pharmacies teaming up — by means of mergers and acquisitions — to control the industry.

From Salon

The governor laid out the structure for his upcoming “California Jobs First Economic Blueprint,” which will be released in full early next year.

From Los Angeles Times

Already this diverges from Schur’s previous hits, in that Charles doesn’t have a corporate structure to navigate or any professional obligations.

From Salon

“We’re seeing a lot of issues at the moment with car parks, where their passive fire protection system is peeling off,” he says, referring to the fire-resistant paint sometimes applied to concrete structures.

From BBC

Future studies should examine ways to integrate the hierarchical structure of these diverse cell definitions in analyses and consider alternate models of in vivo brain functioning, said Holmes.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• architecture
• arrangement
• complex
• construction
• design
• format
• formation
• framework
• network
• organization
• system