substruction

English

Etymology

From Latin substructio, from substruere, substructum (“to build beneath”), from sub (“under”) + struere (“to build”).

Noun

substruction (plural substructions)

1. (architecture) underbuilding; substructure
   • 1644 November 18 (Gregorian calendar), John Evelyn, “[Diary entry for 8 November 1644]”, in William Bray, editor, Memoirs, Illustrative of the Life and Writings of John Evelyn, […], 2nd edition, volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […]; and sold by John and Arthur Arch, […], published 1819, →OCLC:

     It is a magnificent strong building, with a substruction very remarkable.

2. (figurative) foundation; base

References

• “substruction”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

French

Pronunciation

• Audio:

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Noun

substruction f (plural substructions)

1. substruction
2. underbuilding

Further reading

• “substruction”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.