Definition and Pronunciation
Organism is an individual living thing that carries out the basic processes of life, such as growth, metabolism, reproduction, response to the environment, and maintenance of internal balance. Organisms include humans, animals, plants, fungi, protists, archaea, and bacteria. They may consist of a single cell (unicellular) or many cells (multicellular).
Pronunciation: OR-guh-niz-uhm
Easy Explanation
An organism is any living thing.
A human being is an organism. A dog, tree, mushroom, fish, bird, flower, and bacterium are also organisms. Every organism grows, uses energy, responds to its surroundings, and carries out life processes.
Biologists study organisms to understand how living things function, develop, reproduce, evolve, and interact with one another and with their environment.
Grammatical Formation
- Part of speech: Noun
- Plural form: Organisms
- Related adjective: Organic (different meaning in some contexts)
- Related terms: Living organism, life form
Word Comparisons
Organism vs. Cell
A cell is the basic structural and functional unit of life. An organism is a complete living thing. Some organisms consist of only one cell, while others are made of trillions of cells.
Organism vs. Species
An organism is a single living individual. A species is a group of organisms capable of reproducing with one another and producing fertile offspring under natural conditions.
Organism vs. Life Form
Life form is a general expression for any type of living thing. Organism is the scientific term for an individual living entity.
Organism vs. Human
A human is one specific type of organism. Not all organisms are human.
Connotations
The term organism has a neutral scientific meaning. It is widely used in biology, medicine, ecology, genetics, microbiology, environmental science, and education.
Meaning with Prepositions
Organism in
Example: Every organism in an ecosystem depends on other living things.
Organism on
Example: Millions of organisms live on Earth.
Organism with
Example: Some organisms with only one cell reproduce rapidly.
Organism through
Example: An organism grows through cell division and development.
Real-Life Examples
A child, an elephant, a sunflower, and a butterfly are multicellular organisms. A bacterium and a yeast cell are unicellular organisms. Scientists study organisms to understand disease, evolution, genetics, ecology, and environmental change.
Synonyms
- Living organism
- Living thing
- Life form
- Living being (context-dependent)
- Biological organism
Antonyms
- Nonliving thing
- Inanimate object
- Lifeless object
Related Terms
- Biology
- Cell
- Species
- Life
- Living thing
- Genetics
- Evolution
- Ecology
- Reproduction
- Anatomy
- Physiology
- Human
- Biological sex
- Human sexuality
- Environment
Common Collocations
- Living organism
- Single-celled organism
- Multicellular organism
- Living organisms
- Marine organism
- Microscopic organism
- Organism survives
- Organism reproduces
- Organism adapts
- Organism evolves
- Organism interacts
- Model organism
Idiomatic and Figurative Usage
The word organism is primarily used in its literal scientific sense.
Occasionally, writers use it figuratively to describe a highly organized system that functions like a living whole.
Example:
- The city functions like a living organism.
Sample Sentences
- Every organism requires energy to survive.
- Humans are multicellular organisms.
- Scientists study organisms to better understand life.
- Some organisms are visible only through a microscope.
- Organisms adapt to changing environments over time.
- Every organism has a life cycle.
- Organisms reproduce in different ways.
- Biology is the scientific study of organisms.
Connection to Sexuality
Organism is a biological concept, not a sexual orientation, gender identity, relationship structure, or psychological concept. In the study of human sexuality, humans are one type of organism whose biology includes biological sex, reproduction, genetics, hormones, and anatomy. However, understanding human sexuality also requires knowledge of psychological, social, cultural, and relational factors, which extend beyond biology alone.
Understanding the concept of an organism helps explain the biological foundation of human development, reproduction, and sexual health, while recognizing that human sexuality is a broader, multidisciplinary subject.
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