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organ-
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pref.
Variant of organo-.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
or·gan (ôrgən)
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n.
1. Music
a. An instrument consisting of a number of pipes that sound tones when supplied with air and a keyboard that operates a mechanism controlling the flow of air to the pipes. Also called pipe organ.
b. Any one of various other instruments, such as the electronic organ, that resemble a pipe organ either in mechanism or sound.
2. Biology A differentiated part of an organism, such as an eye, wing, or leaf, that performs a specific function.
3. An instrument or agency dedicated to the performance of specified functions: The FBI is an organ of the Justice Department.
4. An instrument or means of communication, especially a periodical issued by a political party, business firm, or other group.

[Middle English, from Old French organe and from Old English organe, both from Latin organum, tool, instrument, from Greek organon; see werg- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.