organ

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or·gan

(ôr′gən)

1. Music

a. An instrument consisting of a number of pipes that sound tones when supplied with air and a keyboard that operates a mechanism controlling the flow of air to the pipes. Also called pipe organ.

b. Any one of various other instruments, such as the electronic organ, that resemble a pipe organ either in mechanism or sound.

2. Biology A differentiated part of an organism, such as an eye, wing, or leaf, that performs a specific function.

3. An instrument or agency dedicated to the performance of specified functions: The FBI is an organ of the Justice Department.

4. An instrument or means of communication, especially a periodical issued by a political party, business firm, or other group.

[Middle English, from Old French organe and from Old English organe, both from Latin organum, tool, instrument, from Greek organon; see werg- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

organ

(ˈɔːɡən)

1. (Instruments)

a. Also called: pipe organ a large complex musical keyboard instrument in which sound is produced by means of a number of pipes arranged in sets or stops, supplied with air from a bellows. The largest instruments possess three or more manuals and one pedal keyboard and have the greatest range of any instrument

b. (as modifier): organ pipe; organ stop; organ loft.

2. (Instruments) any instrument, such as a harmonium, in which sound is produced in this way. See also reed organ, harmonica

3. (Instruments) short for electric organ^1a, electronic organ

4. (Biology) a fully differentiated structural and functional unit, such as a kidney or a root, in an animal or plant

5. an agency or medium of communication, esp a periodical issued by a specialist group or party

6. an instrument with which something is done or accomplished

7. a euphemistic word for penis

[C13: from Old French organe, from Latin organum implement, from Greek organon tool; compare Greek ergein to work]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

or•gan

(ˈɔr gən)

n.

a. Also called pipe organ. a musical instrument having one or more sets of pipes actuated by keyboard and sounded by compressed air.

b. a similar musical instrument having the tones produced electronically: an electronic organ.

c. reed organ.

d. barrel organ.

e. hand organ.

2. a grouping of tissues into a distinct structure, as a heart or kidney in animals or a leaf or stamen in plants, that performs a specialized task.

3. a newspaper, magazine, or other means of communicating information, thoughts, or opinions, esp. in behalf of some organization or political group.

4. an instrument or means, as of action.

5. penis.

[before 1000; Middle English: musical instrument, pipe organ, organ of the body, tool « Greek órganon implement, tool, bodily organ, musical instrument, akin to érgon work]

or·gan

(ôr′gən)

A distinct part of an organism that performs one or more particular functions. Examples of organs are the eyes, ears, lungs, and heart of an animal, and the roots, stems, and leaves of a plant.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

organ

- Comes from Latin organum, from Greek oganon, "implement, instrument, tool"; it was first a very general term, but was then used for "wind instrument" and "functional part of the body."

See also related terms for wind instrument.

organ

1. A structure composed of several tissues that performs a specific function, e.g. stomach, leaf.

2. Part of the body made of different tissues that performs a particular task.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	organ - a fully differentiated structural and functional unit in an animal that is specialized for some particular function ovipositor - egg-laying tubular structure at the end of the abdomen in many female insects and some fishes siphon, syphon - a tubular organ in an aquatic animal (especially in mollusks) through which water can be taken in or expelled comb-plate, ctene - a locomotor organ consisting of a row of strong cilia whose bases are fused wing - a movable organ for flying (one of a pair) invertebrate foot, foot - any of various organs of locomotion or attachment in invertebrates sucker - an organ specialized for sucking nourishment or for adhering to objects by suction stinger - a sharp organ of offense or defense (as of a wasp or stingray or scorpion) often connected with a poison gland body part - any part of an organism such as an organ or extremity contractile organ, contractor - a bodily organ that contracts anlage, primordium - an organ in its earliest stage of development; the foundation for subsequent development vital organ, vitals - a bodily organ that is essential for life effector - an organ (a gland or muscle) that becomes active in response to nerve impulses external organ - an organ that is situated on or near the surface of the body internal organ, viscus - a main organ that is situated inside the body sense organ, sensory receptor, receptor - an organ having nerve endings (in the skin or viscera or eye or ear or nose or mouth) that respond to stimulation glossa, lingua, tongue, clapper - a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity organ of speech, speech organ, vocal organ - any of the organs involved in speech production crystalline lens, lens of the eye, lens - biconvex transparent body situated behind the iris in the eye; its role (along with the cornea) is to focuses light on the retina gland, secreter, secretor, secretory organ - any of various organs that synthesize substances needed by the body and release it through ducts or directly into the bloodstream cell organ, cell organelle, organelle - a specialized part of a cell; analogous to an organ; "the first organelle to be identified was the nucleus" end organ - a specialized structure at the peripheral end of some motor or sensory nerve fibers lobe - (anatomy) a somewhat rounded subdivision of a bodily organ or part; "ear lobe" reproductive organ, sex organ - any organ involved in sexual reproduction target organ - (radiology) organ intended to receive the therapeutic dose of a radioactive substance taret organ - (endocrinology) organ most affected by a particular hormone erectile organ - an organ containing erectile tissue
	2.	organ - a government agency or instrument devoted to the performance of some specific function; "The Census Bureau is an organ of the Commerce Department" bureau, federal agency, government agency, agency, office, authority - an administrative unit of government; "the Central Intelligence Agency"; "the Census Bureau"; "Office of Management and Budget"; "Tennessee Valley Authority"
	3.	organ - (music) an electronic simulation of a pipe organ electric organ, electronic organ, Hammond organ electronic instrument, electronic musical instrument - a musical instrument that generates sounds electronically music - an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
	4.	organ - a periodical that is published by a special interest group; "the organ of the communist party" periodical - a publication that appears at fixed intervals house organ - a periodical published by a business firm for its employees and customers
	5.	organ - wind instrument whose sound is produced by means of pipes arranged in sets supplied with air from a bellows and controlled from a large complex musical keyboard pipe organ keyboard - device consisting of a set of keys on a piano or organ or typewriter or typesetting machine or computer or the like keyboard instrument - a musical instrument that is played by means of a keyboard organ pipe, pipework, pipe - the flues and stops on a pipe organ foot lever, foot pedal, treadle, pedal - a lever that is operated with the foot clavier, piano keyboard, fingerboard - a bank of keys on a musical instrument stop - (music) a knob on an organ that is pulled to change the sound quality from the organ pipes; "the organist pulled out all the stops" wind instrument, wind - a musical instrument in which the sound is produced by an enclosed column of air that is moved by the breath
	6.	organ - a free-reed instrument in which air is forced through the reeds by bellows harmonium, reed organ free-reed instrument - a wind instrument with a free reed

organ

noun

1. body part, part of the body, member, element, biological structure damage to the muscles and internal organs

2. newspaper, paper, medium, voice, agency, channel, vehicle, journal, publication, rag (informal), gazette, periodical, mouthpiece the People's Daily, the official organ of the Chinese Commmunist Party

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

organ

noun

1. A component of government that performs a given function:

agency, arm, branch, department, division, wing.

2. That by which something is accomplished or some end achieved:

agency, agent, instrument, instrumentality, instrumentation, intermediary, mean (used in plural), mechanism, medium.

Translations

Spanish / Español

Select a language:

órgano

organ

[ˈɔːgən]

A. N

1. (Mus) → órgano m; (= barrel organ) → organillo m

2. (Anat) → órgano m

3. (= mouthpiece) [of opinion] → órgano m, portavoz mf

B. CPD organ loft N → tribuna f del órgano, galería f del órgano
organ pipe N → cañón m de órgano
organ stop N → registro m de órgano

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

organ¹

(ˈoːgən) noun

1. a part of the body or of a plant which has a special purpose. the reproductive organs.órgano

2. a means of spreading information, eg a newspaper. an organ of the Communist Party.órgano

orˈganic (-ˈgӕ-) adjective

1. of or concerning the organs of the body. organic diseases.orgánico

2. of, found in, or produced by, living things. Organic compounds all contain carbon. órganico

3. (of food) grown without the use of artificial fertilizers. órganico

orˈganically adverb

órganicamente

organ²

(ˈoːgən) noun

a usually large musical instrument similar to a piano, with or without pipes. He plays the organ; an electric organ.órgano

ˈorganist noun

a person who plays the organ. the organist in the church.organista

organ

→ órgano

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

or·gan

n. órgano, parte del cuerpo que realiza una función específica;

end ___ → ___ terminal;

___ displacement → desplazamiento de un ___;

___ transplant → transplante de un ___.

organ

n órgano, víscera; hollow —órgano hueco, víscera hueca; solid —órgano sólido; vital —órgano vital

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References in classic literature ?

Now run the organ under the tree, and we'll dress it when Bubbles comes back," Sir Christopher cried.

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And, conversely, that natural selection may perfectly well succeed in largely developing any organ, without requiring as a necessary compensation the reduction of some adjoining part.

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Like an organ, all day-- That bass note is in my left ear.

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AN Orator afflicted with atrophy of the organ of common-sense rose in his place in the halls of legislation and pointed with pride to his Unblotted Escutcheon.

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"And I tell you that you ought to go down to the organ at once."

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And she thought only of them as the clergyman laid his hand upon her head, and spoke of the holy baptism, of the covenant with God, and how she should be now a matured Christian; and the organ pealed so solemnly; the sweet children's voices sang, and the old music-directors sang, but Karen only thought of her red shoes.

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If you are an entire stranger to their race, you might hunt over these two heads for hours, and never discover that organ. The ear has no external leaf whatever; and into the hole itself you can hardly insert a quill, so wondrously minute is it.

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The Martians had what appears to have been an auditory organ, a single round drum at the back of the head-body, and eyes with a visual range not very different from ours except that, according to Philips, blue and violet were as black to them.

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In the opposite corner of that same cabin was an organ for which the people told me they were paying sixty dollars in monthly instalments.

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Disencumbering himself of a barrel organ which he placed upon a chair, and retaining in his hand a small whip wherewith to awe his company of comedians, he came up to the fire to dry himself, and entered into conversation.

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And here I specially stayed to show that, were there such machines exactly resembling organs and outward form an ape or any other irrational animal, we could have no means of knowing that they were in any respect of a different nature from these animals; but if there were machines bearing the image of our bodies, and capable of imitating our actions as far as it is morally possible, there would still remain two most certain tests whereby to know that they were not therefore really men.

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Several genera (Flustra Eschara, Cellaria, Crisia, and others) agree in having singular moveable organs (like those of Flustra avicularia, foun in the European seas) attached to their cells.

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