- structure
- 1. The arrangement of the details of a part; the manner of formation of a part. 2. A tissue or formation made up of different but related parts. 3. In chemistry, the specific connections of the atoms in a given molecule. SYN: structura. [L. structura, fr. struo, pp. structus, to build]- accessory structures [TA] parts accessory to the main organ or s.. SYN: accessory organs (1), adnexa, annexa.- accessory visual structures [TA] the eyelids, with lashes and eyebrows, lacrimal apparatus, conjunctival sac, and extrinsic muscles of the eyeball. SYN: structurae oculi accessoriae [TA], accessory organs of the eye, accessory visual apparatus, adnexa oculi, appendages of eye, organa oculi accessoria.- complementary structures structures that define one another; E.G., the two strands of duplex DNA.- crystal s. the arrangement in space and the interatomic distances and angles of the atoms in crystals, usually determined by x-ray diffraction measurements.- denture-supporting structures the tissues, teeth, and/or residual ridges, which serve as the foundation for removable partial or complete dentures.- fine s. SYN: ultrastructure.- gel s. brush heap s. of fibrils giving firmness to hydrocolloids.- primary s. in a macromolecule, the sequence of subunits that make up that macromolecule; e.g., the amino acid sequence of a protein.- quaternary s. the three-dimensional arrangement and constitution of a multimeric ( I.E., a substance containing more than one biopolymer) macromolecule; E.G., the α2β2 tetramer of hemoglobin A.- secondary s. the localized arrangement in space of regions of a biopolymer; often these types of structures are regular and recurring along one dimension; E.G., the α-helix often found in proteins.- tertiary s. the three-dimensional configuration of a biopolymer.- tuboreticular s. tubules 20–30 nm in length that lie within cisterns of smooth endoplasmic reticulum; observed in connective tissue diseases such as SLE, and in various cancers and virus infections.
* * *
struc·ture 'strək-chər n1) something (as an anatomical part) arranged in a definite pattern of organization2 a) the arrangement of particles or parts in a substance or body <molecular \structure>b) organization of parts as dominated by the general character of the whole <personality \structure>3) the aggregate of elements of an entity in their relationships to each other* * *
struc·ture (strukґchər) [L. struere to build] 1. something made up of arranged parts being held together in a given way, such as an apparatus or organ. 2. the manner of arrangement of the parts that constitute a whole.
Medical dictionary. 2011.