organ

[awr-guh n] /ˈɔr gən/
noun
1.
Also called pipe organ. a musical instrument consisting of one or more sets of pipes sounded by means of compressed air, played by means of one or more keyboards, and capable of producing a wide range of musical effects.
2.
any of various similar instruments, as a reed organ or an electronic organ.
3.
a barrel organ or hand organ.
4.
Biology. a grouping of tissues into a distinct structure, as a heart or kidney in animals or a leaf or stamen in plants, that performs a specialized task.
5.
penis.
6.
a newspaper, magazine, or other means of communicating information, thoughts, or opinions, especially in behalf of some organization, political group, or the like.
7.
an instrument or means, as of action or performance:
This committee will be the chief organ of administration.
8.
Archaic. any of various musical instruments, especially wind, instruments.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English: musical instrument, pipe organ, organ of the body, tool (< Medieval Latin, Latin organum mechanical device, instrument) < Greek órganon implement, tool, bodily organ, musical instrument, akin to érgon work
Related forms
interorgan, adjective
multiorgan, adjective
Synonyms
6. publication, journal, instrument, channel.
Examples from the web for organs
  • The head portion of the squid pokes out of a conical, rubbery structure called the mantle, which encloses the internal organs.
  • Even the two organs in the choir loft are decorated, with angels playing instruments.
  • Surgery was limited to simple operations on the extremities, where vital organs would not be exposed to infection.
  • Any minute, they thought, the metal would start slashing through his organs.
  • It was a continuing pain that seemed to spread to all my other organs.
  • To dismiss a student for such nonsense indicates a quest for authority over real life and real live organs and tissue.
  • My stomach clenching, heart wrenching, and mind kicking my other organs for getting involved.
  • Unlike insulin or artificial hips, organs so far cannot be successfully manufactured.
  • All vital organs begin to lose some function as you age.
  • Primary amyloidosis is a disorder in which abnormal proteins build up in tissues and organs.
British Dictionary definitions for organs

organ

/ˈɔːɡən/
noun
1.
  1. Also called pipe organ. a large complex musical keyboard instrument in which sound is produced by means of a number of pipes arranged in sets or stops, supplied with air from a bellows. The largest instruments possess three or more manuals and one pedal keyboard and have the greatest range of any instrument
  2. (as modifier): organ pipe, organ stop, organ loft
2.
any instrument, such as a harmonium, in which sound is produced in this way See also reed organ, harmonica
3.
short for electric organ (sense 1a), electronic organ
4.
a fully differentiated structural and functional unit, such as a kidney or a root, in an animal or plant
5.
an agency or medium of communication, esp a periodical issued by a specialist group or party
6.
an instrument with which something is done or accomplished
7.
a euphemistic word for penis
Word Origin
C13: from Old French organe, from Latin organum implement, from Greek organon tool; compare Greek ergein to work
Word Origin and History for organs

organ

n.

fusion of late Old English organe, and Old French orgene (12c.), both meaning "musical instrument," both from Latin organa, plural of organum "a musical instrument," from Greek organon "implement, tool for making or doing; musical instrument; organ of sense, organ of the body," literally "that with which one works," from PIE *werg-ano-, from root *werg- "to do," related to Greek ergon "work" and Old English weorc (see urge (v.)).

Applied vaguely in late Old English to musical instruments; sense narrowed by late 14c. to the musical instrument now known by that name (involving pipes supplied with wind by a bellows and worked by means of keys), though Augustine (c.400) knew this as a specific sense of Latin organa. The meaning "body part adapted to a certain function" is attested from late 14c., from a Medieval Latin sense of Latin organum. Organist is first recorded 1590s; organ-grinder is attested from 1806.

organs in Medicine

organ or·gan (ôr'gən)
n.
A differentiated part of the body that performs a specific function.

organs in Science
organ
  (ôr'gən)   
A distinct part of an organism that performs one or more specialized functions. Examples of organs are the eyes, ears, lungs, and heart of an animal, and the roots, stems, and leaves of a plant.
organs in Culture

organ definition


Part of a living thing, distinct from the other parts, that is adapted for a specific function. Organs are made up of tissues and are grouped into systems, such as the digestive system.

Note: The brain, liver, and skin are organs.
organs in the Bible

some kind of wind instrument, probably a kind of Pan's pipes (Gen. 4:21; Job 21:12; Ps. 150:4), which consisted of seven or eight reeds of unequal length.