organism

/ˈɔːɡənɪzəm/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɔːrɡənɪzəm/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈȯr-gə-ˌni-zəm/ (ame, mw)

organism — noun

1. a complete living thing, from a bacterium to a tree, that lives as one individua

1.名詞B2
釋義

a complete living thing, from a bacterium to a tree, that lives as one individual unit

例句

A single-celled organism moved across the glass under the microscope.

collocation: single-celled organism

One harmful organism entered the cut through the dirty river water.

harmful organism in water

同義詞
  • living thing

    the plain everyday phrase, less scientific than organism

  • life form

    often used in science or when speaking more generally about kinds of life

  • creature

    more everyday and usually used for animals, not plants or bacteria

  • being

    a very broad formal word that is less exact in biology

文法句型

a single-celled organism

harmful organisms in water

an organism can survive

用法筆記

Usually countable. Common in science contexts with words like cell, soil, water, and disease. Distinguish from organ: an organism is the whole living thing, while an organ is only one part of a body.

常見錯誤

❌The heart is an organism.
✅The heart is an organ.
💡An organism is a whole living thing, not one body part.

2. a whole whose sections work together and affect one another, especially in compa

2.名詞C1
釋義

a whole whose sections work together and affect one another, especially in comparisons with a body that is alive

例句

The writer describes the city as an organism with streets like veins.

describe something as an organism

Inside the small company, each team worked like part of one organism.

part of one organism

同義詞
  • system

    the broadest word, without the image of a living body

  • whole

    stresses that the parts are taken together as one complete thing

  • structure

    focuses more on arrangement than on life-like interaction

  • body

    can suggest one united group, but it is less analytical than organism

文法句型

describe something as an organism

part of one organism

act as an organism

用法筆記

Usually appears in patterns like describe X as an organism or see X as one organism. Mostly used in formal writing or analysis, not as the ordinary word for a company, school, or group.

常見錯誤

❌The school organism raised money for new books.
✅The school organization raised money for new books.
💡Organism is used for a living thing or for a system compared to one, not as the normal word for a group.