Construction
/kənˈstrʌk.ʃən/noun
The act or process of building something, or the thing that has been built.
Did you know?Construction comes from Latin construere, and the same ancient root behind it also fed words about *structure* and *destruction*—building and tearing down were once linguistically linked.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*strew-
“to spread, stretch, or line up”
Latin
Latin
struere
“to pile up, build, or arrange”
Latin
Latin
constructio
“a putting together, arrangement, or building”
Old French
Old French
construction
“the act of building or fitting together”
Middle English
English
construction
“the building of something, or the way something is put together”
Modern English
English
construction
“the process or result of building”
Explore more surprising origins