ˈstrəkchərəl, -ksh(ə)rəl adjective
1.
a. : of or relating to structure or a structure : affecting structure : used in building structures : constructional
a structural error
structural clay
these metals have a structural stability that should insure long life for the furniture in which they are used — Betty Pepis
stands at the structural center of the story — Charles Lee
b. : of or relating to the load-bearing members or scheme of a building as opposed to the screening or ornamental elements
the structural details of a house consist of floor joists, rafters, wall and partition studs, supporting columns … foundations — Building, Estimating & Contracting
c. : involved in or caused by structure especially of the economy
modern structural unemployment
2. : of, relating to, or involving the physical makeup of a plant or animal body and especially its plan of organization
structural defects in the central nervous system — D.M.Hegsted & F.J.Stare
the true wing is a structural peculiarity of birds
3. : of, relating to, or resulting from the arrangement of rock bodies : resulting from the effects of folding or faulting of the earth's crust : tectonic
a structural plateau
a structural ridge
a structural valley
4.
a. : of or relating to the social structure ; specifically : involving the arrangement of social status and stratification into a hierarchical class system
b. : stressing social structure and the interdependence of social institutions
the structural emphasis of social anthropologists
5. : concerned with or relating to structure rather than history or comparison
structural linguistics
: emphasizing the systematic relations of formal distinctions in a language
structural grammar