The structure of a thing is how the parts of it relate to each other, how it is "assembled". Structure may also refer to:

Architecture

Architectural structure Architectural engineers apply and theoretical knowledge to the engineering design of buildings and building systems. The goal is to engineer high performance buildings that are sustainable, economically viable and ensure the safety health. Archi ...

, a man-made structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or continuous occupancy **

Building A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and fu ...

Nonbuilding structure A nonbuilding structure, also referred to simply as a structure, refers to any body or system of connected parts used to support a load that was not designed for continuous human occupancy. The term is used by architects, structural engin ...

** Building (disambiguation)

Engineering

Structural engineering Structural engineering is a sub-discipline of civil engineering in which structural engineers are trained to design the 'bones and muscles' that create the form and shape of man-made structures. Structural engineers also must understand and cal ...

* Structural analysis, the study of the strength and properties of structures

Biology

Canopy (biology) In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant cropping or crop, formed by the collection of individual plant crowns. In forest ecology, canopy also refers to the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns an ...

structure, organization or three-dimensional geometry of a plant canopy *

Community (ecology) In ecology, a community is a group or association of populations of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area at the same time, also known as a biocoenosis, biotic community, biological community, ecological communit ...

structure, ecological organization of a biological community * ''Structure'' (journal), a scientific journal describing protein structures * ''Structure'', a journal on form and function in modern biology

Chemistry

Chemical structure A chemical structure determination includes a chemist's specifying the molecular geometry and, when feasible and necessary, the electronic structure of the target molecule or other solid. Molecular geometry refers to the spatial arrangement of ...

, the spatial arrangement of atoms and bonds in a molecule **

Protein structure Protein structure is the three-dimensional arrangement of atoms in an amino acid-chain molecule. Proteins are polymers specifically polypeptides formed from sequences of amino acids, the monomers of the polymer. A single amino acid monom ...

* The spatial arrangement of ions, atoms, or molecules in condensed matter **

Crystal structure In crystallography, crystal structure is a description of the ordered arrangement of atoms, ions or molecules in a crystalline material. Ordered structures occur from the intrinsic nature of the constituent particles to form symmetric patterns ...

** Structure of liquids and glasses

Mathematics

* Mathematical structure on a set, additional mathematical objects that in some manner attach to the set, making it easier to visualize or work with, or endowing the collection with meaning or significance * Algebraic structure, the systems that are studied in universal algebra *

Structure (mathematical logic) In universal algebra and in model theory, a structure consists of a set along with a collection of finitary operations and relations that are defined on it. Universal algebra studies structures that generalize the algebraic structures such as g ...

, the algebraic structures studied in model theory *

Structure constants In mathematics, the structure constants or structure coefficients of an algebra over a field are used to explicitly specify the product of two basis vectors in the algebra as a linear combination. Given the structure constants, the resulting prod ...

, defining a Lie algebra or an algebra over a field * Structuralism (philosophy of mathematics), a theory in the philosophy of mathematics that holds that mathematical theories describe structures of mathematical objects

Social sciences and linguistics

* Structuralism, the theory that elements of human culture must be understood in terms of their relationship to a larger, overarching system or structure * Structural linguistics, an approach to linguistics originating from the work of Ferdinand de Saussure, a part of the overall approach of structuralism *

Deep structure and surface structure Deep structure and surface structure (also D-structure and S-structure although those abbreviated forms are sometimes used with distinct meanings) are concepts used in linguistics, specifically in the study of syntax in the Chomskyan tradition of t ...

, concepts in linguistics, specifically the study of syntax in the Chomskyan tradition *

Social structure In the social sciences, social structure is the aggregate of patterned social arrangements in society that are both emergent from and determinant of the actions of individuals. Likewise, society is believed to be grouped into structurally rel ...

, a pattern of social arrangements in society *

Structural functionalism Structural functionalism, or simply functionalism, is "a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability". This approach looks at society through a macro-level o ...

, a theory of society as a system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability *

Functional structuralism Functional structuralism is a spin-off from systems theory in sociology. Systems theory, following Talcott Parsons, began as a structural-functionalist theory, that is, social structure In the social sciences, social structure is the aggregat ...

, a theory of society that deduces structure from function * Structural anthropology, a theory of social structure in primitive societies, strongly associated with the work of Claude Lévi Strauss *

Biogenetic structuralism Charles D. Laughlin, Jr. (born 1938) is a neuroanthropologist known primarily for having co-founded a school of neuroanthropological theory called " biogenetic structuralism." Laughlin is an emeritus professor of anthropology and religion at Car ...

, a theory of anthropology grounded in neuroscience * Structuration theory, a theory of social systems based in the analysis of both structure and agents *

Structure and agency In the social sciences there is a standing debate over the primacy of structure or agency in shaping human behaviour. ''Structure'' is the recurrent patterned arrangements which influence or limit the choices and opportunities available. ''Agency' ...

, two confronted theories about human behaviour * Base and superstructure, two parts of a Marxist analysis of society * Structural Marxism, an approach to Marxism based on structuralism, associated with Louis Althusser *

Structuralism (architecture) Structuralism is a movement in architecture and urban planning that evolved around the middle of the 20th century. It was a reaction to Rationalism'sAldo van Eyck, "Statement Against Rationalism", written for CIAM VI in 1947. In: ''Aldo van ...

, a structuralist critique of architecture * Structuralist film theory, a branch of film theory rooted in structuralism *

Post-structuralism Post-structuralism is a term for philosophical and literary forms of theory that both build upon and reject ideas established by structuralism, the intellectual project that preceded it. Though post-structuralists all present different critiques ...

, the theory that structuralism evolved into

Literature

Dramatic structure Dramatic structure (also known as dramaturgical structure) is the structure of a dramatic work such as a book, play, or film. There are different kinds of dramatic structures worldwide which have been hypothesized by critics, writers and schola ...

, the way dramatic works, such as plays or films, are organized *

Narrative structure Narrative structure is a literary element generally described as the structural framework that underlies the order and manner in which a narrative is presented to a reader, listener, or viewer. The narrative text structures are the plot and the ...

, the order and manner in which a narrative is presented to a reader, listener, or viewer

Finance

Financial structure Corporate finance is the area of finance that deals with the sources of funding, the capital structure of corporations, the actions that managers take to increase the value of the firm to the shareholders, and the tools and analysis used to allo ...

, the area of finance dealing with monetary decisions that business enterprises make and the tools and analysis used to make these decisions ** Capital structure, the way a corporation finances its assets through a combination of equity, debt, or hybrid securities ** Structured finance, a sector of finance created to help provide increased liquidity or funding sources to markets

Music

* Musical structure (disambiguation) * ''Structure'' (Terri Lyne Carrington, Jimmy Haslip, Greg Osby, and Adam Rogers album), 2004 * ''Structure'' (Water from Your Eyes album), 2021 * ''Structures'' (John Abercrombie album), 2006 * ''Structures'' (Boulez), composition * ''Structures'' (John Digweed album), 2010 *

Structures (band) Structures (stylized as STRUC/TURES) is a Canadian metalcore band from Toronto, formed in 2009. Their current line-up consists of guitarists Spyros Georgiou and Brendon Padjasek, who also performs vocals, and drummer Andrew McEnaney. They have re ...

, a Canadian metalcore band

Other uses

* Structural art, examples of structural engineering that attain excellence in the three areas of efficiency, economy, and elegance *

Large-scale structure of the cosmos The observable universe is a ball-shaped region of the universe comprising all matter that can be observed from Earth or its space-based telescopes and exploratory probes at the present time, because the electromagnetic radiation from these obj ...

* Structural geology, the three dimensional distribution of rock bodies and their planar or folded surfaces, and their internal fabrics * Data structure, a way of storing data in a computer so that it can be used efficiently * ''

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions ''The Structure of Scientific Revolutions'' (1962; second edition 1970; third edition 1996; fourth edition 2012) is a book about the history of science by philosopher Thomas S. Kuhn. Its publication was a landmark event in the history, philoso ...

'', a 1962 book by Thomas Kuhn on the history of science * Structure, the former name for the Express Men clothing brand * New Structure, a political party in Greece