structure Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts
    construction.
    • the structure consisted of a series of arches
    • she wore her hair in an amazing construction of whirls and ribbons
  2. noun the manner of construction of something and the arrangement of its parts
    • artists must study the structure of the human body
    • the structure of the benzene molecule
  3. noun the complex composition of knowledge as elements and their combinations
    • his lectures have no structure
  4. noun a particular complex anatomical part of a living thing
    complex body part; body structure; anatomical structure; bodily structure.
    • he has good bone structure
  5. noun the people in a society considered as a system organized by a characteristic pattern of relationships
    social organisation; social organization; social structure; social system.
    • the social organization of England and America is very different
    • sociologists have studied the changing structure of the family
  6. verb give a structure to
    • I need to structure my days

WordNet

Struc"ture noun
Etymology
L. structura, from struere, structum, to arrange, build, construct; perhaps akin to E. strew: cf. F. structure. Cf. Construe, Destroy, Instrument, Obstruct.
Definitions
  1. The act of building; the practice of erecting buildings; construction. R.
    His son builds on, and never is content Till the last farthing is in structure spent. J. Dryden, Jr.
  2. Manner of building; form; make; construction.
    Want of insight into the structure and constitution of the terraqueous globe. Woodward.
  3. Arrangement of parts, of organs, or of constituent particles, in a substance or body; as, the structure of a rock or a mineral; the structure of a sentence.
    It [basalt] has often a prismatic structure. Dana.
  4. (Biol.) Manner of organization; the arrangement of the different tissues or parts of animal and vegetable organisms; as, organic structure, or the structure of animals and plants; cellular structure.
  5. That which is built; a building; esp., a building of some size or magnificence; an edifice.
    There stands a structure of majestic frame. Pope.

Webster 1913