organelle

noun

or·​gan·​elle ˌȯr-gə-ˈnel 

: a specialized cellular part (such as a mitochondrion, chloroplast, or nucleus) that has a specific function and is considered analogous to an organ

Examples of organelle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The slug digests the rest of the cell but keeps the chloroplasts—the plant organelles responsible for photosynthesis—and distributes these green orbs through its branched gut. —Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 23 July 2025

Mitochondria—the organelles in our cells responsible for generating energy—are likely the product of an ancient symbiosis with a distant ancestor and a microbe, and have their own separate DNA. —Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 23 July 2025

Casey Means, President Donald Trump’s newest nominee for surgeon general, has singled out the organelle as the main casualty of the modern American health crisis. —Hannah Seo, The Atlantic, 10 June 2025

An organelle, not a symbiote All of these properties—the coordinated replication, the biochemical specialization, the existence of a system for importing proteins—are features of organelles, not endosymbiosis. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 11 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin organella, from Latin organum

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for organelle

• bagatelle
• caravel
• carousel
• carrousel
• citadel
• clientele
• commonweal
• decibel
• demoiselle
• fontanelle
• infidel
• isabel

Kids Definition

organelle

noun

or·​gan·​elle ˌȯr-gə-ˈnel 

: a structure (as a mitochondrion) in a cell that performs a special function

Medical Definition

organelle

noun

or·​gan·​elle ˌȯr-gə-ˈnel 

: a specialized cellular part (as a mitochondrion or nucleus) that has a specific function and is considered analogous to an organ