organism

American  

[awr-guh-niz-uhm] / ˈɔr gəˌnɪz əm /

noun

1. a form of life composed of mutually interdependent parts that maintain various vital processes.

2. a form of life considered as an entity; an animal, plant, fungus, protistan, or moneran.

3. any organized organized body or system conceived of as analogous to a living being.

   the governmental organism.

4. any complex thing or system having properties and functions determined not only by the properties and relations of its individual parts, but by the character of the whole that they compose and by the relations of the parts to the whole.

   Synonyms:

   structure, entity, network, organization

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organism British  

/ ˈɔːɡəˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. any living biological entity, such as an animal, plant, fungus, or bacterium

2. anything resembling a living creature in structure, behaviour, etc

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organism Scientific  

/ ôr′gə-nĭz′əm /

1. An individual form of life that is capable of growing, metabolizing nutrients, and usually reproducing. Organisms can be unicellular or multicellular. They are scientifically divided into five different groups (called kingdoms) that include prokaryotes, protists, fungi, plants, and animals, and that are further subdivided based on common ancestry and homology of anatomic and molecular structures.

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Other Word Forms

• organismal adjective
• organismally adverb
• organismic adjective
• organismically adverb
• superorganism noun

Etymology

Origin of organism

First recorded in 1655–65; organ + -ism

Example Sentences

The analysis revealed that preservation practices varied depending on both the type of organism and the time period in which the specimen was stored.

From Science Daily

These tests will examine whether the material supports the movement of bone forming cells inside living organisms and whether it can restore bone strength over time.

From Science Daily

His team wondered whether regularly soaking in hot springs might also influence the parasites and microscopic organisms that live on and inside the monkeys.

From Science Daily

These overlooked organisms, known as "cryptic" species, appear almost identical to known species but are genetically distinct.

From Science Daily

These microscopic organisms help control bacterial populations, support nutrient cycling, and serve as indicators of soil health.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• animal
• creature
• structure