ˈȯ(r)gəˌnizəm noun
( -s )
Etymology: organ- + -ism
1. : organic structure : organization
the man of large and imperious physical organism — Havelock Ellis
2. : something felt to resemble a living plant or animal: as
a.
(1) : an entity having an existence independent of or more fundamental than its elements and having distinct members or parts whose relations and powers or properties are determined by their function in the whole
the nation is not merely the sum of individual citizens at any given time, but it is a living organism , a mystical body … of which the individual is an ephemeral part — Joseph Rossi
(2) : a being in which every part is at once a means and an end to every other
b. : something arising and developing in an organic manner
whether the whole of reality is an organism or a machine — Weston LaBarre
3. : an individual constituted to carry on the activities of life by means of parts or organs more or less separate in function but mutually dependent : a living being
Synonyms: see system