Where does “structure” come from?

Structure comes from Middle French structure, from Latin structura, derived from the Latin verb struo meaning to build or arrange, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ster-.

structure (English): A cohesive whole built up of distinct parts; The...

Definitions

  1. A cohesive whole built up of distinct parts; The...

Ancestry of “structure”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchstructure
2Latinstructūrathe practice or process of building, construction
3Latinstruōto place one thing on top of another, to pile up, join together
4Proto-Italicstrowōpile up; construct, build
5Proto-Indo-Europeanstrew-to spread, to strew
6Proto-Indo-Europeansterh₃-to spread, extend, stretch out
7Proto-Indo-Europeanster-sterile, infertile

Words derived from “structure

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ster-