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Definition of organism noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

organism

noun
 
/ˈɔːɡənɪzəm/
 
/ˈɔːrɡənɪzəm/
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  1. (biology or formal) a living thing, especially one that is extremely small
    • Even the simplest, single-celled organisms show examples of this behaviour.
    • The cell is the unit of which all living organisms are composed.
    see also microorganismTopics Biologyb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • developing
    • growing
    • living
    See full entry
  2. (formal) a system consisting of parts that depend on each other
    • the social organism (= society)
  3. Word Originearly 18th cent. (in the sense ‘organization’, from organize): current senses derive from French organisme.
See organism in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee organism in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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