organism

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: or=gan=ism

CIDE DICTIONARY

organism, n. [Cf. F. organisme.].

•  Organic structure; organization.  Grew.  [1913 Webster]
•  An organized being; a living body, either vegetable or animal, composed of different organs or parts with functions which are separate, but mutually dependent, and essential to the life of the individual.  [1913 Webster]

  " Some of the lower forms of life are so simple in structure as to be without organs, but are still called organisms, since they have different parts analogous in functions to the organs of higher plants and animals."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

organism, n.
1 a living individual consisting of a single cell or of a group of interdependent parts sharing the life processes.
2 a an individual live plant or animal. b the material structure of this.
3 a whole with interdependent parts compared to a living being.

Etymology

F organisme (as ORGANIZE)

THESAURUS

organism

aerobic organism, an existence, anaerobic organism, anatomy, architectonics, architecture, arrangement, autotrophic organism, being, body, build, building, composition, conformation, constitution, construction, creation, creature, critter, entelechy, entity, fabric, fabrication, fashion, fashioning, forging, form, format, formation, frame, genetic individual, getup, heterotrophic organism, individual, life, living being, living thing, make, makeup, making, manufacture, microbe, microorganism, mold, molding, monad, morphological individual, object, ont, organic being, organic structure, organization, pattern, patterning, person, persona, personality, physiological individual, physique, plan, production, setup, shape, shaping, something, soul, structure, structuring, tectonics, texture, thing, tissue, unit, virus, warp and woof, weave, web, zooid, zoon

ROGET THESAURUS

organism

Arrangement

N arrangement, plan, preparation, disposal, disposition, collocation, allocation, distribution, sorting, assortment, allotment, apportionment, taxis, taxonomy, syntaxis, graduation, organization, grouping, tabulation, analysis, classification, clustering, division, digestion, digest, synopsis, syntagma, table, atlas, file, database, register, organism, architecture, sieve, riddle, screen, sorter, arranged, embattled, in battle array, cut and dried, methodical, orderly, regular, systematic, In vast cumbrous array.

Texture

N texture, structure (form), organization, anatomy, frame, mold, fabric, construction, framework, carcass, architecture, stratification, cleavage, substance, stuff, compages, parenchyma, constitution, staple, organism, organography, osteology, myology, splanchnology, neurology, angiography, adeology, angiography, adenography, texture, surface texture, intertexture, contexture, tissue, grain, web, surface, warp and woof, warp and weft, tooth, nap, flatness (smoothness), fineness of grain, coarseness of grain, dry goods, silk, satin, muslin, burlap, histology, structural, organic, anatomic, anatomical, textural, textile, fine grained, coarse grained, fine, delicate, subtile, gossamery, filmy, silky, satiny, coarse, homespun, rough, gritty, smooth, smooth as silk, smooth as satin.

Organization

N organization, organized world, organized nature, living nature, animated nature, living beings, organic remains, fossils, protoplasm, cytoplasm, protein, albumen, structure, organization, organism, biology, natural history, organic chemistry, anatomy, physiology, zoology, botany, microbiology, virology, bacteriology, mycology, naturalist, archegenesis, antherozoid, bioplasm, biotaxy, chromosome, dysmeromorph, ecology, oecology, erythroblast, gametangium, gamete, germinal matter, invagination, isogamy, oogamy, karyaster, macrogamete, microgamete, metabolism, anabolism, catabolism, metaplasm, ontogeny, ovary, ovum, oxidation, phylogeny, polymorphism, protozoa, spermary, spermatozoon, trophoplasm, vacuole, vertebration, zoogloea, zygote, Darwinism, neo-Darwinism, Lamarkism, neoLamarkism, Weismannism, morphology, taxonomy, organic, organized, karyoplasmic, unsegmentic, vacuolar, zoogloeic, zoogloeoid.