organelle

American  

[awr-guh-nel, awr-guh-nel] / ˌɔr gəˈnɛl, ˈɔr gəˌnɛl /

noun

1. Cell Biology. a specialized part of a cell having some specific function; a cell organ.

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organelle British  

/ ˌɔːɡəˈnɛl /

noun

1. a structural and functional unit, such as a mitochondrion, in a cell or unicellular organism

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organelle Scientific  

/ ôr′gə-nĕl′ /

1. A structure or part that is enclosed within its own membrane inside a cell and has a particular function. Organelles are found only in eukaryotic cells and are absent from the cells of prokaryotes such as bacteria. The nucleus, the mitochondrion, the chloroplast, the Golgi apparatus, the lysosome, and the endoplasmic reticulum are all examples of organelles. Some organelles, such as mitochondria and chloroplasts, have their own genome (genetic material) separate from that found in the nucleus of the cell. Such organelles are thought to have their evolutionary origin in symbiotic bacteria or other organisms that have become a permanent part of the cell.

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Etymology

Origin of organelle

1905–10; < New Latin organella, diminutive of Latin organum organ; see -elle

Explanation

An organelle is one small part of a cell that has a very specific function or job. The nucleus itself is an organelle. The different parts of a cell, especially the ones that are separated from the rest of the cell by a membrane, are known as organelles. Chloroplasts, which convert sunlight to energy, are important organelles in plants, and mitochondria, which create energy from the breakdown of sugars, are vital organelles in most organisms, including humans. Organelle is a diminutive of organ, from the idea that just as organs support the body, organelles support the individual cell.

Example Sentences

Previous evolutionary trees of plants built by scientists often used the genome of the chloroplast, the organelle that allows plants to perform photosynthesis.

From New York Times • May 11, 2024

Visualising this assembly in real time provides a better understanding of the role of these proteins in organelle structure or function.

From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2024

This organelle, essential to the organisation of the cell skeleton, is associated -- in case of dysfunction -- with certain cancers, brain disorders or retinal diseases.

From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2024

"As the respiratory organelle, mitochondria produces energy," Birsoy notes.

From Science Daily • Nov. 8, 2023

His cilia are not cilia at all, but individual spirochetes, and at the base of attachment of each spirochete is an oval organelle, embedded in the myxotricha membrane, which is a bacterium.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas