Structurally

How to spell structurally

12 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce structurally

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does structurally mean?

1. adverbIn a way that relates to the structure or framework of something, especially how it is built or organised.

Structurally in a sentence

• The old bridge is structurally sound despite its age.

• The report is structurally similar to last year's version.

Where does structurally come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word reaches back to the Latin verb struere, which literally meant 'to build' or 'to pile up in layers'. From its past participle stem came the noun structura, meaning 'a fitting together' or 'a manner of building', which English absorbed through French as 'structure' in the 1400s. By the 1600s English had formed the adjective 'structural' to describe anything relating to how something is built or arranged, and the adverb 'structurally' followed naturally with the standard -ly ending. The same struere root quietly survives in a family of common words such as 'construct', 'instruct', 'destroy', and 'industry'. The spelling trap sits in the unstressed middle: the -ture of structure softens to a vague 'cher' sound, so writers must remember the full 'struct-ur-al-ly' chain rather than the sound they hear.

How the word is built

• struct- (from Latin struere: to build)
• -ure (noun suffix)
• -al (adjective suffix)
• -ly (adverb suffix)