organic
/ɔːˈɡanɪk
/adjective
1Relating to or derived from living matter: organic soils...
- The carbon dioxide is derived almost entirely from the bacterial decomposition of organic matter in soil.
- The first step in properly decontaminating instruments, whether by hand or machine, is a cool water rinse to remove organic debris.
- Blum has only 13 acres of maintained turf, on which he uses mostly organic fertilizers and low-toxic pesticides.
Synonyms
living, live, animate, biological, natural
technical biotic
1.1 Chemistry Relating to or denoting compounds containing carbon (other than simple binary compounds and salts) and chiefly or ultimately of biological origin. Compare with inorganic.During photosynthesis, plants reduce carbon from carbon dioxide to form organic molecules....
- In this process the ether is shaken with an organic solute in aqueous solution.
- Carbohydrates are one of the most widely occurring types of organic compounds.
2(Of food or farming methods) produced or involving production without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or other artificial chemicals: organic farming organic meat...
- Europe is taking the lead in the shift to sustainable farming practices and organic food production.
- In theory, organic methods of food production sound ideal.
- Perhaps the most obvious immediate alternative to the conventional farming treadmill is for farmers to convert their production to organic methods.
Synonyms
pesticide-free, additive-free, chemical-free, non-chemical, natural
3 Physiology Relating to a bodily organ or organs.Common organic causes of her headaches had been ruled out by x-rays, MRI, and spinal tap....
- You can nearly always find an organic explanation in patients with heartburn and with trouble in swallowing if you know what to ask about and what to look for.
- Headaches that are a result of a serious organic medical problem represent only a small percent of children's headaches.
3.1 Medicine (Of a disease) affecting the structure of an organ.A recent study, however, showed that the use of modern technology minimised the likelihood of missing organic disease....
- Often, the fatigue is transient or can be attributed to a definable organic illness.
- The reported patients mostly had normal lung function and did not have diagnosed organic illnesses.
4Denoting or characterized by a harmonious relationship between the elements of a whole: the organic unity of the integral work of art...
- I took diverse or disparate elements and gave them some kind of organic unity.
- The majority of the songs on the album blend each element into a full, organic, and integrated whole.
- There is no sense of organic unity in the work as a whole - one is simply taken from event to event, often at speed.
Synonyms
structured, organized, coherent, integrated, coordinated, ordered, systematic, systematized, methodical, orderly, consistent, harmonious, methodized
4.1Characterized by gradual or natural development: the organic growth of community projects...
- Have you had goals in mind throughout your career, or has your development been fairly organic?
- Development is an organic process, so we inevitably added and expanded on a few features that greatly improved the product.
- We continue to gain market share in key target markets and achieve good revenue growth from both acquisitions and organic developments.
noun (usually organics)
1A food produced by organic farming.Some foods have been so destroyed by corporate farming that organics are really the only option when it comes to taste....
- For consumers, prices can be steep - mark-up tends to be higher on organics than on conventional foods.
- Producers are turning to organics because of concerns about the environment and their own long-term viability.
2An organic chemical compound.Althought it is a very cold body, scientists hypothesize that watery volcanos could erupt onto the surface, and could even remain liquid for long enough to convert the organic into amino acids....
- This allows photocatalytic oxidation of organics using a porous titanium dioxide membrane.
- In our study, there were three types of possible exposures, derived from oil and hydraulic fluids, that were capable of causing the symptoms reported by flight crews: organophosphates, volatile organics, and carbon monoxide.
Origin
Late Middle English: via Latin from Greek organikos 'relating to an organ or instrument'.