organism

[ awr-guh-niz-uhm ]
/ ˈɔr gəˌnɪz əm /

noun

a form of life composed of mutually interdependent parts that maintain various vital processes.
a form of life considered as an entity; an animal, plant, fungus, protistan, or moneran.
any organized body or system conceived of as analogous to a living being: the governmental organism.
any complex thing or system having properties and functions determined not only by the properties and relations of its individual parts, but by the character of the whole that they compose and by the relations of the parts to the whole.

Origin of organism

First recorded in 1655–65; organ + -ism

SYNONYMS FOR organism

4 organization, network, entity, structure.

OTHER WORDS FROM organism

or·gan·is·mic, or·gan·is·mal, adjective or·gan·is·mi·cal·ly, adverb su·per·or·gan·ism, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH organism

organism orgasm

Words nearby organism

organic psychosis, organic solidarity, organic vertigo, organically, organicism, organism, organist, organization, organization chart, organization for economic cooperation and development, organization for european economic cooperation

British Dictionary definitions for organismal

organism
/ (ˈɔːɡəˌnɪzəm) /

noun

any living biological entity, such as an animal, plant, fungus, or bacterium
anything resembling a living creature in structure, behaviour, etc

Derived forms of organism

organismal or organismic, adjective organismally, adverb

Medical definitions for organismal

organism
[ ôr′gə-nĭz′əm ]

n.

An individual form of life, such as a plant, animal, bacterium, protist, or fungus; a body made up of organs, organelles, or other parts that work together to carry on the various processes of life.

Other words from organism

or′gan•is′mal (-nĭz′məl) null adj.

Scientific definitions for organismal

organism
[ ôr′gə-nĭz′əm ]

An individual form of life that is capable of growing, metabolizing nutrients, and usually reproducing. Organisms can be unicellular or multicellular. They are scientifically divided into five different groups (called kingdoms) that include prokaryotes, protists, fungi, plants, and animals, and that are further subdivided based on common ancestry and homology of anatomic and molecular structures.