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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

or·gan       (ôr'gən)  Pronunciation Key  n.   Music An instrument consisting of a number of pipes that sound tones when supplied with air and a keyboard that operates a mechanism controlling the flow of air to the pipes. Also called pipe organ. Any one of various other instruments, such as the electronic organ, that resemble a pipe organ either in mechanism or sound. Biology A differentiated part of an organism, such as an eye, wing, or leaf, that performs a specific function. An instrument or agency dedicated to the performance of specified functions: The FBI is an organ of the Justice Department. An instrument or a means of communication, especially a periodical issued by a political party, business firm, or other group. [Middle English, from Old French organe and from Old English organe, both from Latin organum, tool, instrument, from Greek organon; see werg- in Indo-European roots.]

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
organ 

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

organ
noun
1.	a fully differentiated structural and functional unit in an animal that is specialized for some particular function
2.	a government agency or instrument devoted to the performance of some specific function; "The Census Bureau is an organ of the Commerce Department"
3.	(music) an electronic simulation of a pipe organ [syn: electric organ]
4.	a periodical that is published by a special interest group; "the organ of the communist party"
5.	wind instrument whose sound is produced by means of pipes arranged in sets supplied with air from a bellows and controlled from a large complex musical keyboard
6.	a free-reed instrument in which air is forced through the reeds by bellows [syn: harmonium]

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

organ       (ôr'gən)  Pronunciation Key  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.

American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
organ

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.

[Chapter:] Life Sciences

American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

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

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: or·gan
Pronunciation: 'or-g&n
Function: noun
: a differentiated structure (as a heart or kidney) consisting of cells and tissues andperforming some specific function in an organism

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Organ

Or"gan\, n. [L. organum, Gr. ?; akin to ? work, and E. work: cf. F. organe. See Work, and cf. Orgue, Orgy.]

1. An instrument or medium by which some important action is performed, or an important end accomplished; as, legislatures, courts, armies, taxgatherers, etc., are organs of government.

2. (Biol.) A natural part or structure in an animal or a plant, capable of performing some special action (termed its function), which is essential to the life or well-being of the whole; as, the heart, lungs, etc., are organs of animals; the root, stem, foliage, etc., are organs of plants.

Note: In animals the organs are generally made up of several tissues, one of which usually predominates, and determines the principal function of the organ. Groups of organs constitute a system. See System.

3. A component part performing an essential office in the working of any complex machine; as, the cylinder, valves, crank, etc., are organs of the steam engine.

4. A medium of communication between one person or body and another; as, the secretary of state is the organ of communication between the government and a foreign power; a newspaper is the organ of its editor, or of a party, sect, etc.

5. [Cf. AS. organ, fr. L. organum.] (Mus.) A wind instrument containing numerous pipes of various dimensions and kinds, which are filled with wind from a bellows, and played upon by means of keys similar to those of a piano, and sometimes by foot keys or pedals; -- formerly used in the plural, each pipe being considired an organ.

The deep, majestic, solemn organs blow. --Pope.

Note: Chaucer used the form orgon as a plural.

The merry orgon . . . that in the church goon [go].

Barrel organ, Choir organ, Great organ, etc. See under Barrel, Choir, etc.

Cabinet organ (Mus.), an organ of small size, as for a chapel or for domestic use; a reed organ.

Organ bird (Zo["o]l.), a Tasmanian crow shrike (Gymnorhina organicum). It utters discordant notes like those of a hand organ out of tune.

Organ fish (Zo["o]l.), the drumfish.

Organ gun. (Mil.) Same as Orgue (b) .

Organ harmonium (Mus.), an harmonium of large capacity and power.

Organ of Gorti (Anat.), a complicated structure in the cochlea of the ear, including the auditory hair cells, the rods or fibers of Corti, the membrane of Corti, etc. See Note under Ear.

Organ pipe. See Pipe, n., 1.

Organ-pipe coral. (Zo["o]l.) See Tubipora.

Organ point (Mus.), a passage in which the tonic or dominant is sustained continuously by one part, while the other parts move.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Organ

Or"gan\, v. t. To supply with an organ or organs; to fit with organs; to organize. [Obs.]

Thou art elemented and organed for other apprehensions. --Bp. Mannyngham.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Organ

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.

On-line Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

organ

organ: in CancerWEB's On-line Medical Dictionary