Instruction
/ɪnˈstrʌkʃən/noun
The act of teaching, or a piece of guidance or direction.
Did you know?Its deepest Latin ancestor, *struere*, also gave us *structure*, *construct*, and *destroy*—so “instruction” is historically tied to the same root as both building and tearing down.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*streu̯-
“to spread out, strew, or lay in order”
Latin
Latin
struere
“to pile up, build, or arrange”
Latin
Latin
instruere
“to build into, equip, prepare, or arrange”
Old French
Old French
instruction
“teaching, training, or information”
Middle English
English
instructioun
“teaching or direction”
Modern English
English
instruction
“the act of teaching or a direction given to someone”
Explore more surprising origins