organic compounds

Cultural  

1. The compounds containing carbon that are typically found in living systems.

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Generally, anything made from living systems, such as cloth, fuels, or wood, is said to be organic. Organic foods are grown with no fertilizer except the organic compounds found naturally in plants and animals.

Example Sentences

A sheriff’s detective served Susan Flores with the search warrant shortly after 7 a.m., and also have access to a neighboring home where the scientists in 2023 detected the volatile organic compounds.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

The group used a technology known as soil vapor sampling, which they say could detect volatile organic compounds associated with decomposing human remains.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

The third region contains organic compounds that include nitrogen, an element that plays a key role in biological molecules such as amino acids.

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

The e-noses can sniff out the unique signatures of volatile organic compounds not only in the breath, but in excretions like sweat or urine, and have AI quickly identify them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Some organic compounds are simply combinations of carbon and hydrogen.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson