struct
strʌkt
Why a manual and a skyscraper share one root
The picture Hands stacking pieces one on top of another until a frame stands. Build it up and you have a structure; pull it down and you have destruction. struct is stacking pieces into a frame; form is the mold that decides the shape.
Where the picture shows up in struct
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The frame that stands
This old building has a steel structure.
ðɪs oʊld ˈbɪldɪŋ hæz ə stiːl ˈstrʌktʃər
This old building has a steel structure.
Steel beams crossed floor over floor, holding the whole building up.
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Steps stacked in your head
Please follow the instructions on the box.
pliːz ˈfɑːloʊ ðiː ɪnˈstrʌkʃənz ɒn ðə bɑːks
Follow the instructions on the box.
Steps being laid one on top of another inside somebody else's head.
In-struct is to stack something inside someone — which is why it means both a manual and an order.
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Stacking something new
They will construct a new bridge here.
ðeɪ wɪl kənˈstrʌkt ə nuː brɪdʒ hɪr
A new bridge is going up here.
Material going up piece by piece on empty ground until a bridge stands.
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The stack pulled down
The storm caused a lot of destruction.
ðə stɔːrm kɔːzd ə lɑːt əv dɪˈstrʌkʃən
The storm did a lot of damage.
A tower that was standing coming down one layer at a time in the wind.
de- means down: take the stack down and you get destruction.
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The frame under a city
The city is fixing its water infrastructure.
ðə ˈsɪti ɪz ˈfɪksɪŋ ɪts ˈwɔːtər ˈɪnfrəstrʌktʃər
The city is repairing its water system.
Pipes and roads laid under the ground, carrying the whole city.
All of it in one picture
struct is a hand stacking pieces until one thing stands. Leave the stack standing and it is a building's structure; stack the steps inside someone's head and it is an instruction. Stack something new and you construct; take the stack back down and you get destruction; lay the frame under a city and you get infrastructure. So any word with struct in it carries the same feel: separate pieces put together until they hold something up.