Synonyms of organnext
1
a
: a differentiated structure (such as a heart, kidney, leaf, or stem) consisting of cells and tissues and performing some specific function in an organism
b
: bodily parts performing a function or cooperating in an activity
the eyes and related structures that make up the visual organs
2
a(1)
: a keyboard instrument in which sets of pipes are sounded by compressed air and produce a variety of timbres

called also pipe organ

(2)
: an electronic keyboard instrument that approximates the sounds and resources of the pipe organ
(3)
(4)
: any of various similar cruder instruments
b
archaic : any of various musical instruments
especially : wind instrument
3
: a subordinate group or organization that performs specialized functions
the various organs of government
4

organ-

2 of 2

combining form

variants or organo-
1
: organ
organogenesis
2
: organic
organophosphorus

Examples of organ in a Sentence

Noun the legislative organ of our government that newspaper is intended as an organ for the whole university community
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Measles can cause a baby’s spleen to enlarge and the fibrous tissue around the organ to thin. Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026 In a trial of more than 400 people with the disease, visceral fat—the kind that packs around internal organs and is known to raise the risk of chronic diseases and premature death—fell by about 15 percent in people taking the drug. Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026 After all, debris from implants is known to trigger local immune responses and even be detectable in the blood and other organs. Mike McRae 31, New Atlas, 1 Sep. 2026 Confining food intake to a consistent daytime window also synchronizes your peripheral metabolic clocks (body clocks in almost every organ) with your central circadian clock, which maintains your sleep cycle. Teresa Maalouf, Verywell Health, 30 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for organ

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, partly from Old English organa, from Latin organum, from Greek organon, literally, tool, instrument; partly from Anglo-French organe, from Latin organum; akin to Greek ergon work — more at work

Combining form

Greek organon

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Time Traveler
The first known use of organ was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

org
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Cite this Entry

“Organ.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/organ. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Kids Definition

1
a
: a keyboard musical instrument in which sets of pipes are sounded by compressed air
b
: an electronic keyboard musical instrument by which sounds like those of an organ are made
2
: a part (as a kidney or leaf) of a person, plant, or animal that consists of cells and tissues and is specialized to do a particular task compare system sense 1b
3
: a way of getting something done
courts are organs of government
4
: a publication (as a newspaper or magazine) of a special group

Medical Definition

: a differentiated structure (as a heart or kidney) consisting of cells and tissues and performing some specific function in an organism

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