structure

[struhk-cher]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR structure ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

mode of building, construction, or organization; arrangement of parts, elements, or constituents: a pyramidal structure.

something built or constructed, as a building, bridge, or dam.

a complex system considered from the point of view of the whole rather than of any single part: the structure of modern science.

anything composed of parts arranged together in some way; an organization.

the relationship or organization of the component parts of a work of art or literature: the structure of a poem.

Biology. mode of organization; construction and arrangement of tissues, parts, or organs.

Geology.

the attitude of a bed or stratum or of beds or strata of sedimentary rocks, as indicated by the dip and strike.
the coarser composition of a rock, as contrasted with its texture.

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.

Sociology.

the system or complex of beliefs held by members of a social group.
the system of relations between the constituent groups of a society.
the relationship between or the interrelated arrangement of the social institutions of a society or culture, as of mores, marriage customs, or family.
the pattern of relationships, as of status or friendship, existing among the members of a group or society.

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.

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.

Origin of structure

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin structūra, equivalent to struct(us) (past participle of struere to put together) + -ūra -ure

Related formsde·struc·ture, verb (used with object), de·struc·tured, de·struc·tur·ing.in·ter·struc·ture, nounnon·struc·ture, nounpre·struc·ture, verb (used with object), pre·struc·tured, pre·struc·tur·ing.

Synonyms for structure

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR structure ON THESAURUS.COM

1. system, form, configuration.

Synonym study

2. See building.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for structure

network, format, system, arrangement, framework, complex, design, architecture, organization, formation, construction, house, edifice, fabric, make, conformation, texture, fabrication, anatomy, build

Examples from the Web for structure

Contemporary Examples of structure

This structure is particularly destructive for children in low-income families.
How a GOP Senate Can Help the Poor
Veronique de Rugy
November 23, 2014
And a small battery hidden in the structure can store power, which can be used to keep highly efficient LEG bulbs lit at night.
Parks and Regeneration
The Daily Beast
November 3, 2014
The piece of metal was held up to the place in the structure where the window had been covered over.
How Amelia's Plane Was Found
Michael Daly
October 30, 2014
Growth in one body part often affects size and structure of other body parts.
Why Aristotle Deserves A Posthumous Nobel
Nick Romeo
October 18, 2014
Like the cerebrum, the cerebellum has two hemispheres, separated by a structure called the vermis.
Early Brain Injury Might Be the Root of Autism
Russell Saunders
September 7, 2014

Historical Examples of structure

Like a huge sloth he drew himself to the roof of the structure.
The Monster Men
Edgar Rice Burroughs
I could push the wagon about with one hand, so light was its structure.
American Notes
Rudyard Kipling
Thence it was an easy task to get on top of the structure in which the dance was being held.
Frank Roscoe's Secret
Allen Chapman
Our first object must be to study the structure of the animal.
The Present Condition of Organic Nature
Thomas H. Huxley
On the side facing the highway the structure was more solid.
Nana, The Miller's Daughter, Captain Burle, Death of Olivier Becaille
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for structure

structure

noun

a complex construction or entity

the arrangement and interrelationship of parts in a construction, such as a building

the manner of construction or organizationthe structure of society

biology morphology; form

chem the arrangement of atoms in a molecule of a chemical compoundthe structure of benzene

geology the way in which a mineral, rock, rock mass or stratum, etc, is made up of its component parts

rare the act of constructing

verb

(tr) to impart a structure to

Word Origin for structure

C15: from Latin structūra, from struere to build

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for structure

mid-15c., "action or process of building or construction," from Latin structura "a fitting together, adjustment, building," from structus, past participle of struere "to pile, build, assemble," related to strues "heap," from PIE *stere- "to spread, extend, stretch out" (cf. Sanskrit strnoti "strews, throws down;" Avestan star- "to spread out, stretch out;" Greek stronymi "strew," stroma "bedding, mattress," sternon "breast, breastbone;" Latin sternere "to stretch, extend;" Old Church Slavonic stira, streti "spread," strama "district;" Russian stroji "order;" Gothic straujan, Old High German strouwen, Old English streowian "to sprinkle, strew;" Old English streon "strain," streaw "straw, that which is scattered;" Old High German stirna "forehead," strala "arrow, lightning bolt;" Old Irish fo-sernaim "spread out," srath "a wide river valley;" Welsh srat "plain"). Meaning "that which is constructed, a building or edifice" is from 1610s.

"put together systematically," by 1855, from structure (n.). Related: Structured; structuring. Structured "organized so as to produce results" is from 1959.

structure in Medicine

structure

[strŭk′chər]

n.

The arrangement or formation of the tissues, organs, or other parts of an organism.

A tissue, an organ, or other formation made up of different but related parts.