inorganic

[in-awr-gan-ik]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR inorganic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not having the structure or organization characteristic of living bodies.

not characterized by vital processes.

Chemistry. noting or pertaining to compounds that are not hydrocarbons or their derivatives.Compare organic(def 1).

not fundamental or related; extraneous.

Origin of inorganic

First recorded in 1785–95; in-³ + organic

Related formsin·or·gan·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for inorganic

dead, extinct, inanimate, lifeless, manmade, mineral

Examples from the Web for inorganic

Historical Examples of inorganic

Perhaps all the elements may be the outcome of an inorganic evolution.
The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4)
J. Arthur Thomson
The thigh-bone, of all the bones, contains most inorganic matter.
Manures and the principles of manuring
Charles Morton Aikman
Natural phenomena, the forces of the organic and inorganic worlds.
Essay on the Creative Imagination
Th. Ribot
The natural world is to the Spiritual as the inorganic to the organic.
Natural Law in the Spiritual World
Henry Drummond
The plant is made of materials which have once been inorganic.
Natural Law in the Spiritual World
Henry Drummond

British Dictionary definitions for inorganic

inorganic

adjective

not having the structure or characteristics of living organisms; not organic

relating to or denoting chemical compounds that do not contain carbonCompare organic (def. 4)

not having a system, structure, or ordered relation of parts; amorphous

not resulting from or produced by growth; artificial

linguistics denoting or relating to a sound or letter introduced into the pronunciation or spelling of a word at some point in its history

Derived Formsinorganically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for inorganic

adj.

1794, "without organized organic structure," from in- (1) "not, opposite of" + organic. Sense of "not arriving by natural growth" recorded from 1862.

inorganic in Medicine

inorganic

[ĭn′ôr-găn′ĭk]

n.

Not formed by or involving organic life or the products of organic life.

Not composed of organic matter.

Of or relating to compounds not containing carbon to hydrogen bonds.

Related formsin′or•gan′i•cal•ly adv.

inorganic in Science

inorganic

[ĭn′ôr-găn′ĭk]

Not involving organisms or the products of their life processes.

Relating to chemical compounds that occur mainly outside of living or once living organisms, such as those in rocks, minerals, and ceramics. Most inorganic compounds lack carbon, such as salt (NaCl) and ammonia (NH3); a few, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), do contain it, but never attached to hydrogen atoms as in hydrocarbons. Inorganic molecules tend to have a relatively small number of atoms as compared with organic molecules.