Where does “organism” come from?
Organism comes from Ancient Greek ὄργανον, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European werǵ-, meaning to work or do.
organism (English): A discrete and complete living thing, such as...
Definitions
- A discrete and complete living thing, such as...
Ancestry of “organism”, step by step
organism traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French organisme
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | organisme | organism; organisation |
| 2 | French | -ïsme | -ism, variant of -isme following vowels |
| 3 | Latin | -isma | Alternative form of -ismus; -ism |
| 4 | Latin | -ismus | -ism |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -ισμός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -μός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -mós | Creates action/result nouns from verb stems |
via English organ
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | organ | A larger part of an organism, composed of tissues... |
| 2 | Middle English | organe | A device used to produce music; a musical... |
| 3 | Old French | organe | — |
| 4 | Latin | organum | an implement, instrument, tool; any musical... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ὄργανον | instrument, implement, tool; sense organ; musical... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | werǵ- | to make |