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.
SYNONYMS FOR organism
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, nounWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH organism
organism orgasmWords nearby organism
Example sentences from the Web for superorganism
The task scientists now face is the reconstruction of the superorganism.
An Epidemic of Absence: Destroying the Bugs in Our Bodies Can Be Dangerous to Our Health |Moises Velasquez-Manoff |September 9, 2012 |DAILY BEASTThe directions for the superorganism—the walking, living, eating, breathing, correctly functioning you—comprise 151 pages.
An Epidemic of Absence: Destroying the Bugs in Our Bodies Can Be Dangerous to Our Health |Moises Velasquez-Manoff |September 9, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
British Dictionary definitions for superorganism
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, adverbMedical definitions for superorganism
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 superorganism
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.