Structure

How to spell structure

9 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce structure

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does structure mean?

1. nounThe arrangement of and relations between the parts of something, or a thing that is built or organised.
2. verbTo arrange or organise something according to a plan.

Structure in a sentence

• noun

  The report explained the company structure in clear detail.

• verb

  The manager wanted to structure the meeting around three key topics.

• noun

  Engineers inspected the steel structure before the bridge opened.

• verb

  They decided to structure the loan repayments over five years.

Where does structure come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin structura, meaning 'a fitting together' or 'a building', which was formed from the verb struere, 'to build, pile up, or arrange'. The past participle of that verb, structus, gives the 'struct' core that English keeps in many relatives. French passed structura into English in the 1400s, at first to describe the act of constructing a building and the arrangement of its parts. Over time the meaning broadened from physical buildings to any organised arrangement of components, whether of a sentence, a company, or a molecule. The same struere root still sits inside 'construct', 'instruct', and 'destroy', and that visible 'struct' spine is the reliable anchor for spelling the trickier '-ure' ending.

How the word is built

• struct (from Latin struere: to build)
• -ure (noun suffix denoting result or process)