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Webster 1913 Edition

Organ

Or′gan

(ôr′gan)
,
Noun.
[L.
organum
, Gr.
ὄργανον
; akin to
ἔργον
work, and E.
work
: cf. F.
organe
. See
Work
, and cf.
Orgue
,
Orgy
.]
1.
An instrument or medium by which some important action is performed, or an important end accomplished;
as, legislatures, courts, armies, taxgatherers, etc., are
organs
of government
.
2.
(Biol.)
A natural part or structure in an animal or a plant, capable of performing some special action (termed its function), which is essential to the life or well-being of the whole;
as, the heart, lungs, etc., are
organs
of animals; the root, stem, foliage, etc., are
organs
of plants
.
☞ In animals the organs are generally made up of several tissues, one of which usually predominates, and determines the principal function of the organ. Groups of organs constitute a
system
. See
System
.
3.
A component part performing an essential office in the working of any complex machine;
as, the cylinder, valves, crank, etc., are
organs
of the steam engine
.
5.
[Cf. AS.
organ
, fr. L.
organum
.]
(Mus.)
A wind instrument containing numerous pipes of various dimensions and kinds, which are filled with wind from a bellows, and played upon by means of keys similar to those of a piano, and sometimes by foot keys or pedals; – formerly used in the plural, each pipe being considered an organ.
The deep, majestic, solemn
organs
blow.
Pope.
☞ Chaucer used the form orgon as a plural.
The merry
orgon
. . . that in the church goon [go].
Barrel organ
,
Choir organ
,
Great organ
,
etc. See under
Barrel
,
Choir
, etc.
–
Cabinet organ
(Mus.)
,
an organ of small size, as for a chapel or for domestic use; a reed organ.
–
Organ bird
(Zool.)
,
a Tasmanian crow shrike (
Gymnorhina organicum
). It utters discordant notes like those of a hand organ out of tune.
–
Organ fish
(Zool.)
,
the drumfish.
–
Organ gun
.
(Mil.)
Same as
Orgue
(b)
.
–
Organ harmonium
(Mus.)
,
an harmonium of large capacity and power.
–
Organ of Corti
(Anat.)
,
a complicated structure in the cochlea of the ear, including the auditory hair cells, the rods or fibers of Corti, the membrane of Corti, etc. See Note under
Ear
.
–
Organ pipe
.
See
Pipe
,
Noun.
, 1.
–
Organ-pipe coral
.
(Zool.)
See
Tubipora
.
–
Organ point
(Mus.)
,
a passage in which the tonic or dominant is sustained continuously by one part, while the other parts move.

Or′gan

,
Verb.
T.
To supply with an organ or organs; to fit with organs; to organize.
[Obs.]
Thou art elemented and
organed
for other apprehensions.
Bp. Mannyngham.

Webster 1828 Edition

Organ

OR'GAN

,
Noun.
[L. organum; Gr.]
1.
A natural instrument of action or operation, or by which some process is carried on. Thus the arteries and veins of animal bodies are organs of circulation; the lungs are organs of respiration; the nerves are organs of perception and sensation; the muscles are organs of motion; the ears are organs of hearing; the tongue is the organ of speech.
2.
The instrument or means of conveyance or communication. A secretary of state is the organ of communication between the government and a foreign power.
3.
The largest and most harmonious of wind instruments of music, consisting of pipes which are filled with wind, and stops touched by the fingers. It is blown by a bellows.

Definition 2024

Organ

Organ

See also: organ, orgán, and òrgan

German

Noun

Organ n ‎(genitive Organs or Organes, plural Organe)

  1. (anatomy) an organ
    Die Haut ist unser größtes Organ.‎
    The skin is our largest organ.
  2. an organ, a publication (newspaper, etc) of an organization
    Das Witzblatt ist das Organ der Spaßpartei.‎
    The Joke Sheet is the organ of the Fun Party.
  3. an organ, a body or organization with a particular purpose or duty
  4. an organ, a part of a government, such as an office or ministry

Derived terms

  • (publication): Parteiorgan, Zentralorgan

Declension

References

organ

organ

See also: Organ, orgán, and òrgan

English

The console of a pipe organ (musical instrument).

Noun

organ ‎(plural organs)

  1. A largest part of an organism, composed of tissues that perform similar functions.
  2. (by extension) A body of an organization dedicated to the performing of certain functions.
  3. (music) A musical instrument that has multiple pipes which play when a key is pressed (the pipe organ), or an electronic instrument designed to replicate such.
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 5, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      He was thinking; but the glory of the song, the swell from the great organ, the clustered lights, […], the height and vastness of this noble fane, its antiquity and its strength—all these things seemed to have their part as causes of the thrilling emotion that accompanied his thoughts.
  4. An official magazine, newsletter, or similar publication of an organization.
  5. A species of cactus (Stenocereus thurberi).
  6. (slang) The ****.

Hyponyms

  • See also Wikisaurus:organ

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

body of an organization
  • Friulian: argagn m

External links

  • organ in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • organ in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

Verb

organ ‎(third-person singular simple present organs, present participle organing, simple past and past participle organed)

  1. (obsolete, transitive) To supply with an organ or organs; to fit with organs.
    • Bishop Mannyngham
      Thou art elemented and organed for other apprehensions.

Anagrams

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ὄργανον ‎(órganon), via Latin organum

Noun

organ n ‎(definite singular organet, indefinite plural organ or organer, definite plural organa or organene)

  1. (anatomy, biology) an organ
  2. an organ (publication which represents an organisation)

See also

  • orgel (musical instrument)

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ὄργανον ‎(órganon), via Latin organum

Noun

organ n ‎(definite singular organet, indefinite plural organ, definite plural organa)

  1. (anatomy, biology) an organ
  2. an organ (publication which represents an organisation)

See also

  • orgel (musical instrument)

References

Polish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɔr.ɡan/

Noun

organ m inan

  1. organ, part of an organism
  2. (by extension) unit of government dedicated to a specific function
  3. (politics) organ, official publication of a political organization

Declension

Romanian

Etymology

From Byzantine Greek ὄργανος ‎(órganos), from Ancient Greek ὄργανον ‎(órganon), partly through the intermediate of Slavic oruganu. Some senses also based on French orgue (cf. orgă), Italian organum, Italian organo.

Noun

organ n ‎(plural organe)

  1. organ (part of organism)
  2. (archaic) organ (musical instrument)

Declension

Synonyms

  • (musical instrument): orgă

See also

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ǒrɡaːn/
  • Hyphenation: or‧gan

Noun

òrgān m ‎(Cyrillic spelling о̀рга̄н)

  1. organ (part of an organism)

Declension

Swedish

Pronunciation

Noun

organ n

  1. (anatomy) an organ (a part of the body)
  2. (dated) a voice (of a singer or actor)
    Hon förenade med ett utmärkt teateryttre en hög grad af intelligens, en ypperlig organ och en förträfflig deklamationskonst
    She combined with excellent theatrical looks a high degree of intelligence, an extraordinary voice and a splendid mastery of declamation
  3. an organ; a newspaper (of an organization, i.e. its voice)

Declension

Inflection of organ 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative organ organet organ organen
Genitive organs organets organs organens

Related terms

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /oʁˈɡaːn/
  • Hyphenation: Or‧gan
  • Rhymes: -aːn

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