structural

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈstɹʌk(t͡)ʃəɹəl/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from structure and -al.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Relating to organizing and putting together physically: 1821 in Etymonline;^[2] MWU dates it to 1801.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Of the structure of a building, by 1845 in Etymonline,^[2] the OED has the art of building from 1867 and the structure of a building as distinct from its decoration from 1877.^[5] Of organic structure in biology and medicine it is from 1845, and in geology from 1855.^[5] The arrangement and relation of the parts of any whole is from 1870.^[5] Special senses in psychology and the social sciences are by 1884, in William James.^[2]

Timeline

• 1801 – first use (MWU).^[4]
• 1821 – of putting together.^[2]
• 1845 – in biology.^[5]
• 1855 – in geology.^[5]
• 1884 – in psychology.^[2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Relating to the structure of something, especially a building.
2. Forming part of a structure and bearing weight: a structural wall.
3. Relating to the way the parts of a system are organized.

Word family

• structurally
• unstructural
• isostructural
• nonstructural
• structuralism
• structuralize
• structural anthropology
• structural formula

Related words

• structure
• construct
• instruct
• destroy

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press