construct

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin cōnstrūctus, from cōnstruō (“to heap together”), from com- (“together”) + struō (“to heap up, pile”). Doublet of construe.

Pronunciation

Noun

• (UK) enPR: kŏn'strŭkt, IPA^(key): /ˈkɒn.stɹʌkt/
• (US) enPR: kän'strŭkt, IPA^(key): /ˈkɑn.stɹʌkt/

• Audio (US); “construct” (noun):

  (file)

Verb

• (UK, US) enPR: kən-strŭkt', IPA^(key): /kənˈstɹʌkt/

• Audio (US); “construct” (verb):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌkt

Noun

construct (plural constructs)

1. Something constructed from parts.

   The artwork was a construct of wire and tubes.

   Loops and conditional statements are constructs in computer programming.

2. A concept or model.

   Bohr's theoretical construct of the atom was soon superseded by quantum mechanics.

3. (genetics) A segment of nucleic acid, created artificially, for transplantation into a target cell or tissue.

Synonyms

• (something constructed from parts): construction
• (concept, model): concept, idea, model, notion, representation

Derived terms

• construct state
• nanoconstruct
• social construct
• subconstruct

Related terms

English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *strew- (0 c, 29 e)

Translations

something constructed from parts

• Bulgarian: констру́кция (bg) f (konstrúkcija)
• Finnish: rakennelma (fi)
• French: construction (fr) f
• Georgian: კონსტრუქცია (ka) (ḳonsṭrukcia)
• Greek: κατασκευή (el) f (kataskeví), κατασκεύασμα (el) n (kataskévasma)
• Hebrew: קומפוזיציה (he) (kompozitsia), קונסטרוקציה (konstructsia)
• Italian: struttura (it) f, costruzione (it) f
• Japanese: コンストラクト (konsutorakuto)
• Naga:

  Khiamniungan Naga: ū-ìeshā

• Persian: سازه (fa) (sâza, sâze)
• Portuguese: montagem (pt) f
• Russian: констру́кция (ru) f (konstrúkcija)
• Spanish: construcción (es) f

concept or model

• Bulgarian: конце́пция (bg) f (koncépcija)
• Catalan: constructe (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 概念 (zh) (gàiniàn)

• Finnish: malli (fi)
• Hebrew: מבנה (he) (mivneh), דגם (he) (degem), מודל (he) (model)
• Italian: concetto (it) m, idea (it) f, modello (it) m
• Japanese: 概念 (ja) (がいねん, gainen)
• Persian: ساختمان (fa) (sâxtemân)
• Portuguese: constructo (pt) m
• Russian: конце́пция (ru) f (koncépcija)
• Spanish: constructo (es) m
• Vietnamese: khái niệm (vi)

segment of DNA created artificially

• French: construction (fr)
• Italian: costruzione (it)
• Portuguese: construção (pt)
• Spanish: construcción (es) f

Verb

construct (third-person singular simple present constructs, present participle constructing, simple past and past participle constructed)

1. (transitive) To build or form (something) by assembling parts.

   We constructed the radio from spares.

   A wall constructed of random stones.

   • 1958 September, J. M. Dunn, “The Afonwen Line—1”, in Railway Magazine, page 594:

     The Carnarvonshire Railway was incorporated by an Act of July 29, 1862, with powers to construct a standard-gauge line from the Bangor & Carnarvon at Caernarvon [1958 spelling] to Portmadoc, a distance of 27¾ miles, but only the centre portion, from Penygroes to Afonwen, 11¾ miles, was built.

2. (transitive, grammar) To build (a sentence, an argument, etc.) by arranging words or ideas.

   A sentence may be constructed with a subject, verb and object.

   • 1997, Marita Sturken, Tangled Memories:

     The Vietnam War films are forms of memory that function to provide collective rememberings, to construct history, and to subsume within them the experience of the veterans.

3. (transitive, geometry) To draw (a geometric figure) by following precise specifications and using geometric tools and techniques.

   Construct a circle that touches each vertex of the given triangle.

   • 1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados:

     The arc of a circle may be very little, but, given that, it is possible to construct the entire figure.

Synonyms

• (build or form by assembling parts'): assemble, build, form, make, produce, put together
• (build (a sentence or argument)): form
• (draw (a geometric figure)):

Antonyms

• (build or form by assembling parts): destroy, disassemble, dismantle, ruin, wreck, take apart

Derived terms

• coconstruct
• constructable
• constructibility
• constructible
• constructive
• deconstruct
• foreconstruct
• galcon
• ill-constructed
• interconstruct
• misconstruct
• overconstruct
• preconstruct
• reconstruct
• unconstruct

Related terms

English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *strew- (0 c, 29 e)

Translations

build or form by assembling parts

• Armenian: կառուցել (hy) (kaṙucʻel), շինել (hy) (šinel), սարքել (hy) (sarkʻel)
• Belarusian: будава́ць impf (budavácʹ), пабудава́ць pf (pabudavácʹ), канструява́ць impf (kanstrujavácʹ), сканструява́ць pf (skanstrujavácʹ)
• Bulgarian: строя́ (bg) impf (strojá), градя́ (bg) impf (gradjá)
• Catalan: construir (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 建造 (zh) (jiànzào), 建設 / 建设 (zh) (jiànshè)

• Czech: konstruovat, sestavit
• Danish: konstruere, bygge (da)
• Estonian: ehitama
• Finnish: rakentaa (fi)
• French: construire (fr)
• Georgian: აშენებს (ašenebs), აგებს (agebs)
• German: bauen (de), konstruieren (de)
• Gothic: 𐍄𐌹𐌼𐍂𐌾𐌰𐌽 (timrjan)
• Greek: κατασκευάζω (el) (kataskevázo), οικοδομώ (el) (oikodomó)

  Ancient Greek: οἰκοδομέω (oikodoméō), δομέω (doméō)

• Hebrew: הרכיב (he) (hirkív)
• Italian: costruire (it)
• Japanese: 建設する (ja) (kensetsu suru), 建てる (ja) (tateru), 築く (ja) (kizuku)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: ava kirin (ku)

• Latin: compingō, construō (la)
• Lithuanian: statyti
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: konstruere

• Persian: ساختن (fa) (sâxtan)
• Polish: budować (pl) impf, zbudować (pl) pf, konstruować (pl) impf, skonstruować (pl) pf
• Portuguese: montar (pt)
• Romanian: construi (ro) f
• Russian: стро́ить (ru) impf (stróitʹ), постро́ить (ru) pf (postróitʹ), конструи́ровать (ru) impf (konstruírovatʹ), сконструи́ровать (ru) pf (skonstruírovatʹ)
• Spanish: construir (es)
• Swedish: konstruera (sv)
• Tamil: கட்டு (ta) (kaṭṭu)
• Ukrainian: будува́ти (uk) impf (buduváty), збудува́ти pf (zbuduváty), конструюва́ти impf (konstrujuváty), зконструюва́ти pf (zkonstrujuváty)

build (a sentence or argument)

• Bulgarian: съставям (bg) (sǎstavjam)
• Catalan: construir (ca)
• Estonian: koostama
• Finnish: rakentaa (fi)
• Hebrew: בנה (he) (baná)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: ava kirin (ku), durist kirin (ku)

• Persian: ساختن (fa) (sâxtan)
• Portuguese: construir (pt), montar (pt)
• Russian: составля́ть (ru) impf (sostavljátʹ), соста́вить (ru) pf (sostávitʹ), стро́ить (ru) impf (stróitʹ), постро́ить (ru) pf (postróitʹ)

draw (a geometric figure)

• Bulgarian: построявам (bg) (postrojavam)
• Czech: sestrojit
• Finnish: konstruoida (fi)
• French: construire (fr)
• German: konstruieren (de)
• Romanian: construi (ro)
• Russian: стро́ить (ru) impf (stróitʹ), постро́ить (ru) pf (postróitʹ)

Further reading

• “construct”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “construct”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “construct”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from English construct.

Noun

construct n (plural constructe)

1. construct

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	construct	constructul	constructe	constructele
genitive-dative	construct	constructului	constructe	constructelor
vocative	constructule		constructelor