Something that teaches valuable lessons or provides useful information and education in a clear, helpful way.
From Latin 'instructivus,' derived from 'instruere' (to build up, teach), combining 'in-' and 'struere' (to construct or arrange). The sense of 'building understanding' is baked into the word's etymology.
The metaphor embedded in 'instruct'—literally 'to construct within'—shows how ancient people understood teaching as building something inside a person's mind. This image has survived for 2,000 years because it captures something psychologically true about how learning works.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.