organ
/ˈɔːɡən/ (bre, ipa) · [ˈɔrɡən] /ˈɔːrɡən/ (ame, ipa) · [ˈɔrɡən] /ˈȯr-gən/ (ame, mw)
organ — noun
- organsingular
- organsplural
1. a working part in a living thing, like a heart, lung, or leaf, that has its own
a working part in a living thing, like a heart, lung, or leaf, that has its own function
Doctors checked the baby's heart, lungs, and other organs after birth.
medical collocation: other organs
Too much alcohol can slowly damage a person's liver and other organs.
collocation: damage an organ
A leaf is an organ that helps the plant take in light.
The surgeon removed the sick organ during a four-hour operation.
When the heart stops, other organs can begin to fail quickly.
文法句型
a vital organ
damage an organ
a donor organ
用法筆記
Often used in science or medicine. Common examples include the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys; in plant study, leaves and roots may also be described as organs.
常見錯誤
2. a keyboard instrument that makes music through pipes or electronic sound, someti
a keyboard instrument that makes music through pipes or electronic sound, sometimes played with both hands and feet
Mia practiced the organ alone in the church before the wedding.
collocation: practice the organ
The old organ filled the hall with a deep, powerful sound.
At music school, Ken learned to play the organ with both feet.
The band used an electronic organ on its new rock song.
Tourists stopped to hear the organ during the Sunday service.
- pipe organ
the large traditional form with pipes and air
- electronic organ
a modern version that creates similar sounds electronically
- keyboard
a broader term for instruments played on keys
- piano
another keyboard instrument, but its sound comes from struck strings
文法句型
play the organ
church organ
electronic organ
用法筆記
Often appears in church, concert, and music-school contexts. Pipe organ usually names the large version with real pipes; electronic organ names the keyboard version that creates the sound electronically.
常見錯誤
3. a paper, magazine, or media outlet that speaks for a group and mainly presents t
a paper, magazine, or media outlet that speaks for a group and mainly presents that group's views
The miners' paper served as an organ of the labor movement.
pattern: an organ of [group]
For years, the teachers' magazine was the union's only organ.
State television served as an organ of government during the war.
The party organ printed the chairman's speech on its front page.
By election week, readers knew the paper was the ruling party's organ.
- mouthpiece
often more critical, suggesting blind support for a group
- house journal
a publication produced for or by one organization, often less political
- newsletter
can simply share information and does not always push one viewpoint
- publication
a neutral broad term without the idea of speaking for a group
- independent press
media not controlled by one organization or party
文法句型
an organ of the party
official organ
serve as an organ of
用法筆記
Usually followed by of when naming the group it represents, as in an organ of the party. This use is formal and especially common in political or historical discussion.
常見錯誤
4. a formal body inside a larger system that is created to deal with one kind of wo
a formal body inside a larger system that is created to deal with one kind of work
Under the constitution, the supreme court is an organ of the state.
pattern: an organ of the state
The health ministry acts as the state's main organ for disease control.
In Seoul, district councils are organs of city government.
The election office is an organ within the national government.
The treaty created a new organ to settle border disputes.
- body
a common formal word for an official group or unit
- agency
often used for a government office with a defined task
- institution
broader and can refer to a whole established system
- department
often one named section inside a larger organization
文法句型
an organ of the state
create an organ
organ within government
用法筆記
Usually followed by of when naming the larger institution, especially in legal or political writing. Distinguish from sense 3 GROUP'S VOICE: this sense names a working unit, not a newspaper or broadcaster.