construere

Construere is a Latin verb meaning to build, to construct, or to heap up, and by extension to arrange or compose. It is formed from the prefix con- meaning together and the root stru- from struere, “to pile up.” In Classical Latin the term covered both literal construction of buildings and more abstract acts of putting things together, such as plans, arguments, or laws.

Grammatically, construere belongs to the third conjugation. Its principal parts are construo, construere, construxi, constructum. The present active indicative follows the regular third-conjugation pattern: construo, construis, construit, construimus, construitis, construunt. The verb also yields the imperfect, perfect (construxi), and the supine (constructum); the participle is constructus, constructa, constructum.

Usage extends from physical building to figurative assembly, such as constructing a plan or a theory. In Latin, it can appear in contexts like building walls or arranging institutions, and it also appears in literary or rhetorical senses of putting elements together. In English, the root shows in words such as construct and structure, while construe, though related in sense of putting together, means to interpret or explain text or statements.

Etymology traces to Latin con- “together” and struere “to pile up.” Cognate Romance forms include French construire, Italian costruire, and Spanish construir. The same root underlies related English words such as construct, structure, and, indirectly, construe, which reflects the historical shift from “to put together” to “to interpret.”