organ

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noun or·gan \ ˈȯr-gən \

Definition of organ

1 a archaic :any of various musical instruments; especially :wind instrument

b (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) :reed organ

(3) :an electronic keyboard instrument that approximates the sounds and resources of the pipe organ

(4) :any of various similar cruder instruments

2 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

3 :a subordinate group or organization that performs specialized functions

the various organs of government

4 :periodical

See organ defined for English-language learners

See organ defined for kids

Examples of organ in a Sentence

the legislative organ of our government
that newspaper is intended as an organ for the whole university community

Recent Examples of organ from the Web

What: A performance in which organs are combined with the sound of cast bronze bells When: September 15 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.

— kate murphy, Cincinnati.com, "Verdin bell company's first job was OTR church," 30 Aug. 2017
Most people on the waiting list receive a kidney from a deceased person who had signed up as an organ donor or from a friend or family member.

— jeremy gorner, chicagotribune.com, "Chicago's grateful top cop to get kidney Wednesday from donor son," 29 Aug. 2017
Joined by the intense violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja, the group’s reading of Berg’s concerto was unsentimental, even severe and raw, but also nuanced and fully developed, the sound milky and organ-like in quotations of Bach.

— zachary woolfe, New York Times, "10 Days at the Salzburg Festival, Music’s Disneyland," 25 Aug. 2017
People over the age of 50 and those who have certain medical conditions, such as cancer diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease and organ transplants, are at greater risk for serious illness.

— jonece starr dunigan, AL.com, "West Nile claims one life in Alabama, 9 cases being investigated," 25 Aug. 2017
Sydnor’s family donated six of Jamahri’s organs to patients like Erle.

— paula rogo, Essence.com, "Jamahri Sydnor Was Killed 10 Days Before Heading To College. Now Her Organs Are Saving Lives.," 24 Aug. 2017
Barker later found LGR5-positive cells in other organs as well.

— gunjan sinha, Science | AAAS, "This scientist is building miniature guts, livers, and lungs that could save your life one day," 23 Aug. 2017
Somewhere, on a clear May morning, an organ donor died.

— roc morin, The Atlantic, "Transplantees Find Catharsis in Holding Their Old Hearts," 22 Aug. 2017
For days, the conservative universe had been self-immolating over a series of extremely negative stories about McMaster in Breitbart, Bannon’s former organ.

— tina nguyen, The Hive, "Inside the Plot to Oust Steve Bannon," 17 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'organ.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of organ

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

organ Synonyms

Synonyms

book, bulletin, diurnal, gazette, mag, magazine, newspaper, journal, paper, periodical, rag, review, serial, zine

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, refrain, riff, segue

organ-

combining form

variants: or organo-

Definition of organ-

1 :organ

organogenesis

2 :organic

organomercurial

Origin and Etymology of organ-

Greek organon

ORGAN Defined for English Language Learners

organ

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noun

Definition of organ for English Language Learners

: a part of the body (such as the heart or liver) that has a particular function
—used as a polite way of saying penis
: a musical instrument that has a keyboard and pipes of different lengths and that makes sound by pushing air through the pipes

ORGAN Defined for Kids

organ

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noun or·gan \ ˈȯr-gən \

Definition of organ for Students

1 :a musical instrument played by means of one or more keyboards and having pipes sounded by compressed air

2 :a part of a person, plant, or animal that is specialized to perform a particular function

The eye is an organ of sight.

3 :a way of getting something done

Courts are organs of government.

Medical Dictionary

organ

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noun or·gan \ ˈȯr-gən \

medical Definition of organ

: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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See words that rhyme with organ Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for organ Spanish Central: Translation of organ Nglish: Translation of organ for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of organ for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about organ

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Synonyms

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organ-

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Origin and Etymology of organ-

ORGAN Defined for English Language Learners

organ

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ORGAN Defined for Kids

organ

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Medical Dictionary

organ

medical Definition of organ

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