Adjacent Words

Organic definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ORGAN'IC,
ORGAN'ICAL, a. [l. organicus.]
1. Pertaining to an organ or to organs; consisting of organs or containing them; as the organic structure of the human body or of plants.
2. Produced by the organs; as organic pleasure.
3. Instrumental; acting as instruments of nature or art to a certain end; as organic arts.
Organic bodies, are such as possess organs, on the action of which depend their growth and perfection; as animals and plants.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: relating or belonging to the class of chemical compounds having a carbon basis; "hydrocarbons are organic compounds" [ant: inorganic]
2: being or relating to or derived from or having properties characteristic of living organisms; "organic life"; "organic growth"; "organic remains found in rock" [ant: inorganic]
3: involving or affecting physiology or bodily organs; "an organic disease" [ant: functional]
4: of or relating to foodstuff grown or raised without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides or hormones; "organic eggs"; "organic vegetables"; "organic chicken"
5: simple and healthful and close to nature; "an organic lifestyle"
6: constitutional in the structure of something (especially your physical makeup) [syn: constituent, constitutional, constitutive, organic] n
1: a fertilizer that is derived from animal or vegetable matter [syn: organic, organic fertilizer, organic fertiliser]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Date: 1517 1. archaic instrumental 2. a. of, relating to, or arising in a bodily organ b. affecting the structure of the organism 3. a. (1) of, relating to, or derived from living organisms <organic evolution> (2) of, relating to, yielding, or involving the use of food produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides <organic farming> <organic produce> b. (1) of, relating to, or containing carbon compounds (2) relating to, being, or dealt with by a branch of chemistry concerned with the carbon compounds of living beings and most other carbon compounds 4. a. forming an integral element of a whole ; fundamental <incidental music rather than organic parts of the action — Francis Fergusson> b. having systematic coordination of parts ; organized <an organic whole> c. having the characteristics of an organism ; developing in the manner of a living plant or animal <society is organic> 5. of, relating to, or constituting the law by which a government or organization exists • organically adverb • organicity noun II. noun Date: 1942 an organic substance: as a. a fertilizer of plant or animal origin b. a pesticide whose active component is an organic compound or a mixture of organic compounds c. a food produced by organic farming

U.S. Military Dictionary

Assigned to and forming an essential part of a military organization. Organic parts of a unit are those listed in its table of organization for the Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, and are assigned to the administrative organizations of the operating forces for the Navy.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 a Physiol. of or relating to a bodily organ or organs. b Med. (of a disease) affecting the structure of an organ. 2 (of a plant or animal) having organs or an organized physical structure. 3 Agriculture produced or involving production without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, etc. (organic crop; organic farming). 4 Chem. (of a compound etc.) containing carbon (opp. INORGANIC). 5 a structural, inherent. b constitutional, fundamental. 6 organized, systematic, coordinated (an organic whole). Phrases and idioms: organic chemistry the chemistry of carbon compounds. organic law a law stating the formal constitution of a country. Derivatives: organically adv. Etymology: F organique f. L organicus f. Gk organikos (as ORGAN)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Organic Or*gan"ic, a. [L. organicus, Gr. ?: cf. F. organique.] 1. (Biol.) Of or pertaining to an organ or its functions, or to objects composed of organs; consisting of organs, or containing them; as, the organic structure of animals and plants; exhibiting characters peculiar to living organisms; as, organic bodies, organic life, organic remains. Cf. Inorganic. 2. Produced by the organs; as, organic pleasure. [R.] 3. Instrumental; acting as instruments of nature or of art to a certain destined function or end. [R.] Those organic arts which enable men to discourse and write perspicuously. --Milton. 4. Forming a whole composed of organs. Hence: Of or pertaining to a system of organs; inherent in, or resulting from, a certain organization; as, an organic government; his love of truth was not inculcated, but organic. 5. Pertaining to, or denoting, any one of the large series of substances which, in nature or origin, are connected with vital processes, and include many substances of artificial production which may or may not occur in animals or plants; -- contrasted with inorganic. Note: The principles of organic and inorganic chemistry are identical; but the enormous number and the completeness of related series of organic compounds, together with their remarkable facility of exchange and substitution, offer an illustration of chemical reaction and homology not to be paralleled in inorganic chemistry. Organic analysis (Chem.), the analysis of organic compounds, concerned chiefly with the determination of carbon as carbon dioxide, hydrogen as water, oxygen as the difference between the sum of the others and 100 per cent, and nitrogen as free nitrogen, ammonia, or nitric oxide; -- formerly called ultimate analysis, in distinction from proximate analysis. Organic chemistry. See under Chemistry. Organic compounds. (Chem.) See Carbon compounds, under Carbon. Organic description of a curve (Geom.), the description of a curve on a plane by means of instruments. --Brande & C. Organic disease (Med.), a disease attended with morbid changes in the structure of the organs of the body or in the composition of its fluids; -- opposed to functional disease. Organic electricity. See under Electricity. Organic law or laws, a law or system of laws, or declaration of principles fundamental to the existence and organization of a political or other association; a constitution. Organic stricture (Med.), a contraction of one of the natural passages of the body produced by structural changes in its walls, as distinguished from a spasmodic stricture, which is due to muscular contraction.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Organic Or*gan"ic, a. [L. organicus, Gr. ?: cf. F. organique.] 1. (Biol.) Of or pertaining to an organ or its functions, or to objects composed of organs; consisting of organs, or containing them; as, the organic structure of animals and plants; exhibiting characters peculiar to living organisms; as, organic bodies, organic life, organic remains. Cf. Inorganic. 2. Produced by the organs; as, organic pleasure. [R.] 3. Instrumental; acting as instruments of nature or of art to a certain destined function or end. [R.] Those organic arts which enable men to discourse and write perspicuously. --Milton. 4. Forming a whole composed of organs. Hence: Of or pertaining to a system of organs; inherent in, or resulting from, a certain organization; as, an organic government; his love of truth was not inculcated, but organic. 5. Pertaining to, or denoting, any one of the large series of substances which, in nature or origin, are connected with vital processes, and include many substances of artificial production which may or may not occur in animals or plants; -- contrasted with inorganic. Note: The principles of organic and inorganic chemistry are identical; but the enormous number and the completeness of related series of organic compounds, together with their remarkable facility of exchange and substitution, offer an illustration of chemical reaction and homology not to be paralleled in inorganic chemistry. Organic analysis (Chem.), the analysis of organic compounds, concerned chiefly with the determination of carbon as carbon dioxide, hydrogen as water, oxygen as the difference between the sum of the others and 100 per cent, and nitrogen as free nitrogen, ammonia, or nitric oxide; -- formerly called ultimate analysis, in distinction from proximate analysis. Organic chemistry. See under Chemistry. Organic compounds. (Chem.) See Carbon compounds, under Carbon. Organic description of a curve (Geom.), the description of a curve on a plane by means of instruments. --Brande & C. Organic disease (Med.), a disease attended with morbid changes in the structure of the organs of the body or in the composition of its fluids; -- opposed to functional disease. Organic electricity. See under Electricity. Organic law or laws, a law or system of laws, or declaration of principles fundamental to the existence and organization of a political or other association; a constitution. Organic stricture (Med.), a contraction of one of the natural passages of the body produced by structural changes in its walls, as distinguished from a spasmodic stricture, which is due to muscular contraction.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. Organic methods of farming and gardening use only natural animal and plant products to help the plants or animals grow and be healthy, rather than using chemicals. Organic farming is expanding everywhere. ...organic fruit and vegetables. ADJ: usu ADJ n • organically ...organically grown vegetables. ADV 2. Organic substances are of the sort produced by or found in living things. Incorporating organic material into chalky soils will reduce the alkalinity. ? inorganic ADJ: usu ADJ n 3. Organic change or development happens gradually and naturally rather than suddenly. (FORMAL) ...to manage the company and supervise its organic growth. ADJ: usu ADJ n 4. If a community or structure is an organic whole, each part of it is necessary and fits well with the other parts. (FORMAL) City planning treats the city as a unit, as an organic whole. ADJ: ADJ n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a.; (also organical) 1. Radical, fundamental, constitutional, vital. 2. Organized, systematized. 3. Instrumental.

Moby Thesaurus

anatomic, animate, architectonic, architectural, atavistic, basic, biological, biotic, bodily, born, breathing, coeval, coherent, congenital, connatal, connate, connatural, consistent, constitutional, constructional, coordinated, edificial, elementary, essential, formal, fundamental, genetic, hereditary, in the blood, inborn, inbred, incarnate, indigenous, ingrained, inherent, inherited, innate, instinctive, instinctual, integral, integrated, living, methodical, morphological, native, native to, natural, natural to, orderly, organismal, organized, physical, physiological, primal, primary, structural, structured, substructural, superstructural, systematic, tectonic, temperamental, textural, visceral, vital, zoetic