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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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Three years ago, a group of scientists working from Susan Flores’ neighbors’ backyard using soil vapor sampling detected the presence of volatile organic compounds that they say may be associated with decomposing human remains.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

However, the experiment cannot determine whether these organic compounds came from past life on Mars, natural geological processes, or meteorites that struck the planet.

From Science Daily • Apr. 28, 2026

Spotted in July 2024, the reddish mudstone contains organic compounds and other minerals that could have supported bygone microbial Martians.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 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

No matter what its original condition, the intense rain and heat of the forest have eroded its surface, washed out all its minerals, and decomposed vital organic compounds.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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