Dictionary
Thesaurus
Medical
Scrabble®
Spanish Central
Browse DictionaryBrowse Thesaurus
Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android
Games
Word of the Day
Video
Blog: Words at Play
My Faves
Dictionary

organ

noun or·gan \ˈȯr-gən\

: a part of the body (such as the heart or liver) that has a particular function

—used as a polite way of saying penis

: a musical instrument that has a keyboard and pipes of different lengths and that makes sound by pushing air through the pipes

Full Definition of ORGAN

1
a archaic :  any of various musical instruments; especially :  wind instrument
b (1) :  a keyboard instrument in which sets of pipes are sounded by compressed air and produce a variety of timbres —called also pipe organ (2) :  reed organ (3) :  an electronic keyboard instrument that approximates the sounds and resources of the pipe organ (4) :  any of various similar cruder instruments
2
a :  a differentiated structure (as a heart, kidney, leaf, or stem) consisting of cells and tissues and performing some specific function in an organism
b :  bodily parts performing a function or cooperating in an activity <the eyes and related structures that make up the visual organs>
3
:  a subordinate group or organization that performs specialized functions <the various organs of government>
4
:  periodical
See organ defined for English-language learners
See organ defined for kids
ADVERTISEMENT

Origin of ORGAN

Middle English, partly from Old English organa, from Latin organum, from Greek organon, literally, tool, instrument; partly from Anglo-French organe, from Latin organum; akin to Greek ergon work — more at work
First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to ORGAN

Synonyms
book, bulletin, diurnal, gazette, mag, magazine, newspaper, journal, paper, periodical, rag, review, serial, zine

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, presto, refrain, riff, segue

Rhymes with ORGAN

gorgon, morgan
ORGAN Defined for Kids

organ

noun or·gan \ˈȯr-gən\

Definition of ORGAN for Kids

1
:  a musical instrument played by means of one or more keyboards and having pipes sounded by compressed air
2
:  a part of a person, plant, or animal that is specialized to perform a particular function <The eye is an organ of sight.>
3
:  a way of getting something done <Courts are organs of government.>
Medical Dictionary

organ

noun or·gan \ˈȯr-gən\

Medical Definition of ORGAN

:  a differentiated structure (as a heart or kidney) consisting of cells and tissues and performing some specific function in an organism

Learn More About ORGAN

Browse

85 ENTRIES FOUND:
  1. organ
  2. organ-
  3. organ beater
  4. organ cactus
  5. organ coral
  6. organ genus
  7. organ-grinder
  8. organ gun
  9. organ meat
  10. organ of Bojanus
  11. organ of Corti
  12. organ of Johnston
  13. organ of Tömösvary
  14. organ-pipe cactus
  15. organ-pipe coral
  16. organ point
  17. organ rest
  18. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
  19. acoustic organ
  20. adhesive organ
  21. American organ
  22. antiphonal organ
  23. barrel organ
  24. Bidder's organ
  25. cabinet organ
  26. cement organ
  27. chair organ
  28. chamber organ
  29. chancel organ
  30. choir organ
Next Word in the Dictionary: organ-Previous Word in the Dictionary: orgAll Words Near: organ
ADVERTISEMENT
10 Charming Words for Nasty People
Put-downs with flair
Learn More
When "Literally" isn't, well, literal
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.
Watch Now
Know what this is?
Test your vocab with our fun, fast game
Go Play
Fear of cats?
Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears
Learn More
Join Us
Merriam-Webster
on Facebook
Merriam-Webster
on Twitter
Bookstore: Digital and Print
Merriam-Webster references for Mobile, Kindle, print, and more.
See All
Other Merriam-Webster Dictionaries