stru-, struct-, -structure, -struction, -structive

Marked by impulses or tendencies to harm or to kill oneself and even to do harm to others: "His son's self-destructive behavior could lead to something very serious one of these days."

"He was diagnosed as being rebellious, aggressive, and at times self-destructive."

1. Partially or tending to destroy or causing destruction or damage. 2. Tending to overthrow, disprove, or discredit someone or something; such as, a semidestructive criticism.

The extent to which soil aggregates are developed, and their sizes and shapes: Soil structure comprises the grouping or order of soil elements in different combinations with various forms, sizes, and degrees of attachments to each other.

The use of solar thermal technologies to produce hot air, water, or steam for industrial purposes, generally at temperatures below 250 degrees centigrade.

1. Referring to or related to the construction of something; such as, a building: "They made some structural repairs of the bridge."
2. Concerned with the systematic structure or aspects of a particular field of study.
3. The organization of people in a society considered as a system organized by a characteristic pattern of relationships.
4. Referring to or relating to the structure and deformation of rocks and other features of the earth's crust.

In geology, the scientific discipline that is concerned with rock deformation on both a large and on a small scale: The scope of structural geology is vast, ranging from submicroscopic lattice defects in crystals to fault structures and fold systems of the Earth’s crust.

Methods of structural geology

Small-scale structural features may be studied using the same general techniques that are employed in petrology, in which sections of rock mounted on glass slides are ground very thin and are then examined with polarizing microscopes.

On a larger scale, the techniques of field geology are used which include plotting the orientation of such structural features as faults, joints, cleavage, and small folds.

In most cases, the objective is to interpret the structure beneath the surface by using information available at the surface.

Where mountains, continents, ocean basins, and other large-scale features are involved, the methods employed are chiefly those of geophysics and include the use of seismological, magnetic, and gravitational techniques.

1. Relating to or forming part of the structure of a building or other item: "The tornado structurally left several houses with major damage."
2. Referring to the arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of a complex whole: "Several changes in the business were structurally required if it had any chance of surviving."
3. Used in or necessary to a building; such as, structural beams: "The structurally stronger beams were an important part of the renovation of the old building."

1. Something which is large; such as, a building, a bridge, a framework, or other construction which is built from many different parts.
2. The way in which the parts of something are organized or arranged into a whole or the way in which the different parts of something link or work together, or the fact of being linked together.
3. A reference to the way the parts of a work of literature or art are organized.
4. An organization or system which is made up of many interrelated parts that work together or function as a whole.

1. Having a well-defined structure or organization arranged in a definite pattern; such as, a structured environment.
2. Something which has been organized in a clear way that lets people see the relationship between the parts: "The university course consisted of a series of structured lessons."
3. Shaped in a definite form, or pattern; such as, a part of the body, including the heart, a bone, a gland, a cell, or a limb.
4. Related to a method of computer programming in which each step of the solution to a problem has been contained in a separate subprogram.

1. Referring to the basic structure or features of a system or organization.
2. Descriptive of the lowest or underlying support of a construction: "The bridge's substructural parts have rusted and been damaged; so, it has been closed to traffic."

1. The supporting part of foundation of a building or other large construction.
2. The earth bank or bed supporting railroad tracks.
3. Any underlying structure or formation of arranged parts that supports or gives strength to something.

1. A reference to the part of a building or construction that is entirely above its foundation or basement.
2. Descriptive of the overlying framework or features of an organization, an institution, or a system, which is built or superimposed on a more fundamental base.
3. Referring to that part of a bridge which rests on piers and abutments.

1. A reference to parts of a building or construction that is entirely above its foundation or basement.
2. A descriptive term for physical or conceptual structures extended or developed from basic forms.
3. Related to the parts of a ship's structure that is above the main deck.

1. The part of a building or construction entirely above its foundation or basement.
2. Any structure built on something else.
3. The overlying framework or features of an organization, institution, or system, built or superimposed on a more fundamental base.
4. Any constructions built above the main deck of a vessel as an upward continuation of the sides; a deckhouse.
5. The part of a bridge that rests on the piers and abutments.
6. Anything based on or rising from some foundation or basis; a complex ideological superstructure based on two hypotheses.
7. Physical or conceptual structures extended or developed from basic forms.

1. A network of controlling technocrats or skilled professionals in an organization or society who control such a corporate system.
2. A group of technologists or technical experts that controls the workings of an industry or a government.