A structure may be defined as the aggregate of relationships between elements of a system, but the definition may include the system itself.^1,2 To give an example, we may speak of a bridge's structure when we mean to convey the way the members (trusses) are arranged and connected. However, we may refer to a bridge itself as a structure with the intent of including all the members and the way they are arranged and connected.

(Also see model.)

1 Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, 1975, pp. 1154-1155.

2 The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, 1968, p. 1303.

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