organ

From Middle English organe, from Old French organe, from Latin organum, from Ancient Greek ὄργανον (órganon, “an instrument, implement, tool, also an organ of sense or apprehension, an organ of the body, also a musical instrument, an organ”), from Proto-Indo-European *werǵ-. Doublet of organon, organum, and orgue.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɔːɡən/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɔɹɡən/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Homophone: Oregon (one pronunciation)
• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)ɡən
• Hyphenation: or‧gan

organ (plural organs)

2. The larger part of an organism, composed of tissues that perform similar functions.

   bodily organs

   vital organ

   • 2018, Sandeep Jauhar, Heart: a History, →ISBN, page 98:

     No matter the extraordinary progress that has been made in heart surgery over the past century, the heart remains a vulnerable organ.

3. (by extension) A body of an organization dedicated to the performing of certain functions.
4. (obsolete) A device, apparatus.
   • 1656, Thomas Hobbes, Elements of Philosophy:

     This Organ is called a Thermometer, or Thermoscope, because the degrees of Heat and Cold are measured and marked by it.

5. (music) A musical instrument that has multiple pipes which play when a key is pressed (the pipe organ), or an electronic instrument designed to replicate such.
   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

     He was thinking; but the glory of the song, the swell from the great organ, the clustered lights, […] , the height and vastness of this noble fane, its antiquity and its strength—all these things seemed to have their part as causes of the thrilling emotion that accompanied his thoughts.

6. An official magazine, newsletter, or similar publication of an organization.
7. Ellipsis of organ pipe cactus.
8. A government organization; agency; authority.
9. (slang) The penis.
   • 1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., page 81:

     If the Snake has an unmistakeable resemblance to the male organ in its active state, the foliage of the tree or bush is equally remindful of the female.

10. (historical, military) An Asian form of mitrailleuse.
    • 1790, H. Compton, A particular account of the European military adventurers of Hindustan, from 1784 to 1803, page 61:

      Lieutenant Roberts was also severely wounded by a missile, or weapon called an Organ, which is composed of about thirty-six gun barrels so joined as to fire at once.

See also Thesaurus:organ.

• → Japanese: オルガン (orugan)
• → Korean: 오르간 (oreugan)
• → Maori: ōkana
• → Vietnamese: oóc-gan

• “organ”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “organ”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

organ (third-person singular simple present organs, present participle organing, simple past and past participle organed)

2. (obsolete, transitive) To supply with an organ or organs; to fit with organs.
   • 1681, Tho[mas] Maunyngham, Two Discourses‎^[1], London: Will[iam] Cademan, page 89:

     [W]hen he ſays, he has compaſſion on’em, they ſhould ask, where then are his Bowels!  […] Alaſs! fond Creature, thou art Elemented and Organ’d for other Apprehenſions  […]

• nagor, grano, angor, rango, groan, rag on, Goran, Ongar, Angor, Agron, argon, Garon, Rogan, Grano, Ragon, orang, Ronga

From Dutch orgaan, from Middle Dutch organe, from Latin organum, from Ancient Greek ὄργανον (órganon).

• IPA^(key): [ˈɔrɡan]
• Hyphenation: or‧gan

organ

1. organ:
   1. (biology) a larger part of an organism, composed of tissues that perform similar functions
   2. (music) a musical instrument that has multiple pipes which play when a key is pressed (the pipe organ), or an electronic instrument designed to replicate such
   3. an official magazine, newsletter, or similar publication of an organization
2. mouthpiece, a spokesperson or medium aligned with an organisation

• “organ” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

organ (Jawi spelling اورݢن, plural organ-organ)

1. organ:
   1. (biology) a larger part of an organism, composed of tissues that perform similar functions.
   2. (music) a musical instrument that has multiple pipes which play when a key is pressed (the pipe organ), or an electronic instrument designed to replicate such.
   3. an official magazine, newsletter, or similar publication of an organization.

• “organ” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

organ

1. alternative form of organe

From Latin organum, a borrowing from Ancient Greek ὄργανον (órganon).

organ n (definite singular organet, indefinite plural organ or organer, definite plural organa or organene)

1. (anatomy, biology) an organ
2. an organ (publication which represents an organisation)
3. a body (e.g. an advisory body)

• kjønnsorgan

• orgel (musical instrument)

• “organ” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

From Ancient Greek ὄργανον (órganon), via Latin organum.

organ n (definite singular organet, indefinite plural organ, definite plural organa)

1. (anatomy, biology) an organ
2. an organ (publication which represents an organisation)
3. a body (e.g. an advisory body)

• kjønnsorgan

• orgel (musical instrument)

• “organ” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Learned borrowing from Latin organum.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɔr.ɡan/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔrɡan
• Syllabification: or‧gan

organ m inan (related adjective organowy)

1. organ (larger part of an organism, composed of tissues that perform similar functions)

   Synonym: narząd

2. (government) organ (body of an organization dedicated to the performing of certain functions)
3. (politics) organ (official magazine, newsletter, or similar publication of an organization)
4. (in the plural) organ, pipe organ (largest of all musical instruments, played from an organ console which produces its sound by sending air through whistles and/or reeds called organ pipes, by direct mechanical action)
5. (in the plural) organ, pipe organ (electronic instrument designed to replicate the pipe organ)

• organ in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• organy in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• organ in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• organ in PWN's encyclopedia

From Byzantine Greek ὄργανος (órganos), from Ancient Greek ὄργανον (órganon), partly through the intermediate of Old Church Slavonic оръганъ (orŭganŭ). Some senses also based on French orgue (cf. orgă), Latin organum, Italian organo.

organ n (plural organe)

1. organ (part of organism)
2. (archaic) organ (musical instrument)

   Synonym: orgă

• mădular

• IPA^(key): /ǒrɡaːn/
• Hyphenation: or‧gan

òrgān m inan (Cyrillic spelling о̀рга̄н)

1. organ (part of an organism)

• IPA^(key): [ˈɔrɡan]

organ m inan (relational adjective organový)

1. organ, pipe organ (electronic instrument designed to replicate the pipe organ)

• “organ”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2025

• Audio:

  (file)

organ n

1. (anatomy) an organ (a part of the body)
2. (euphemistic) a penis
3. a (state) body that performs societal functions
4. (dated) a voice (of a singer or actor)

   Hon förenade med ett utmärkt teateryttre en hög grad af intelligens, en ypperlig organ och en förträfflig deklamationskonst

   She combined with excellent theatrical looks a high degree of intelligence, an extraordinary voice and a splendid mastery of declamation

5. an organ; a newspaper (of an organization, i.e. its voice)

• kuk

• organ in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• organ in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• organ in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

• argon

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɔk̚˧˦ ɣaːn˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɔk̚˦˧˥ ɣaːŋ˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔɔk̚˦˥ ɣaːŋ˧˧]
• Phonetic spelling: oóc gan

(classifier đàn) organ

1. (Vietnam) keyboard (device with keys of a musical keyboard)

• (keyboard): đàn phím

• đại phong cầm

• IPA^(key): /ˈɔrɡan/

Borrowed from English organ.

organ f or m (plural organau)

1. (music) organ

organ m or f (plural organau)

1. (biology, anatomy) organ

• organau cenhedlu (“reproductive organs”)
• organeb (“organism”)
• organyn (“organelle”)

Borrowed from English origan, from Latin origanum.

• organi, origan

organ m (plural organs)

1. (obsolete) wild marjoram (Origanum vulgare)

• mintys y graig
• penrhudd

• D. G. Lewis, N. Lewis, editors (2005–present), “organ”, in Gweiadur: the Welsh–English Dictionary, Gwerin
• Delyth Prys, J.P.M. Jones, Owain Davies, Gruffudd Prys (2006) Y Termiadur: termau wedi'u safoni; standardised terminology‎^[2] (in Welsh), Cardiff: Awdurdod cymwysterau, cwricwlwm ac asesu Cymru (Qualifications curriculum & assessment authority for Wales), →ISBN
• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “organ”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies