structure
How parts connect
Structure is the way parts are arranged or organized into a whole.
A building has physical structure; an essay has logical structure; a molecule has chemical structure.
The word implies that arrangement matters—that components relate to each other in purposeful ways.
To structure something is to give it organization: She structured the course around weekly themes.
Structured environments have clear rules; unstructured time is free of them.
Internal supportive framework
- boneHard skeletal tissue
- cellBasic unit of life
- tissueDisposable soft paper
- organBody's working component
musculature · vertebrae · ribcage · cartilage · membrane · connective tissue · exoskeleton · endoskeleton
Underlying support structure
- frameworkUnderlying support system
- beamStructural support member
- girderMain structural support beam
- trussLoad-bearing beam arrangement
joist · pillar · scaffolding · load-bearing · construction · edifice · blueprint · steel frame
Bonded atomic group
- compoundCombined into one
- crystalOrdered-atom solid
- polymerLarge repeated-unit molecule
- latticeOpenwork of crossed strips
matrix · atomic · molecular · chemical · double helix · bonding · configuration · arrangement
Ranked authority structure
- frameworkUnderlying support system
- systemConnected parts forming whole
- bureaucracyRigid administrative system
- chain of commandFormal authority hierarchy
pecking order · echelons · management · department · division · centralized · decentralized · top-down
Vertical structural element
- domeRounded vault forming roof
- facadeDeceptive outward appearance
- buttressArchitectural wall reinforcement
- archCurved spanning structure
portico · cantilever · balustrade · pediment · architrave · frieze · cornice · capital
Interlace strands into fabric
- warpBend from true form
- weftCrosswise loom threads
- knitLoop yarn into fabric
- fiberPlant-based digestive aid
yarn · thread · fabric · loom · pattern · twill · satin · jacquard
To uphold or sustain
- reinforcementAdding support or encouragement
- load-bearingSustaining structural mass
- anchoredFixed securely in position
- bracedSteadied against force
rigid · sturdy · secure · fortified · buttressed · balanced · resilient · robust
skeleton
Internal supportive framework
organ · musculature · vertebrae · ribcage · cartilage · membrane · connective tissue · exoskeleton · endoskeleton · spinal column
foundation
Underlying support structure
truss · joist · pillar · scaffolding · load-bearing · construction · edifice · blueprint · steel frame · reinforcement
molecule
Bonded atomic group
lattice · matrix · atomic · molecular · chemical · double helix · bonding · configuration · arrangement · formula
hierarchy
Ranked authority structure
- frameworkUnderlying support system
- systemConnected parts forming whole
- bureaucracyRigid administrative system
chain of command · pecking order · echelons · management · department · division · centralized · decentralized · top-down · bottom-up
column
Vertical structural element
- domeRounded vault forming roof
- facadeDeceptive outward appearance
- buttressArchitectural wall reinforcement
arch · portico · cantilever · balustrade · pediment · architrave · frieze · cornice · capital · keystone
weave
Interlace strands into fabric
fiber · yarn · thread · fabric · loom · pattern · twill · satin · jacquard · mesh
support
To uphold or sustain
- reinforcementAdding support or encouragement
- load-bearingSustaining structural mass
- anchoredFixed securely in position
braced · rigid · sturdy · secure · fortified · buttressed · balanced · resilient · robust · sound
stratum
Horizontal layer of material
- layerSingle thickness of material
- formationCreation or arrangement
- sedimentaryFormed from deposited material
tectonic · fault · fold · bedrock · crust · mantle · core · plate · volcanic · crystalline
- connectionslink, links, connect, connection, tie
- storytellingstorytelling, story, tale, narrative, narrator
- workplacehours, cubicle, desk job, holiday party, desk
- literary elementsplot, character, setting, theme, narrator
- productivityproductivity, checking off, prioritization, finishing, output
- Art Conceptscreativity, aesthetics, color theory, perspective, symmetry
structuredestruction
Act of completely ruining
demolition · dismantling · ruin · rubble · wreckage
structureformlessness
Lacking definite shape
shapelessness · amorphousness · fluidity · structurelessness · nebulousness
structurespontaneity
Acting without forethought
improvisation · free-form · randomness · unstructured · ad hoc
- command structureOrder-giving hierarchy
- cell structureArrangement of cellular components
- bone structureSkeletal anatomy and arrangement
- structural integrityWholeness under load
- structural collapseFramework giving way
- atomic structureInternal composition of atoms
infrastructure, structured, structural, structures, restructure, unstructured, structuring, restructuring, substructure