organic

US /ɔɹˈɡænɪk/ UK /ɔːˈɡænɪk/ See IPA manual

Freq #6250

Meanings

1

adj
Grown or produced without artificial chemicals, fertilizers, or pesticides.

They buy organic vegetables from the local farm.
2

adj
Relating to or coming from living things.

The soil was rich in organic matter.
3

adj
In chemistry, relating to compounds that contain carbon.

Students studied organic compounds such as hydrocarbons.
4

adj
Developing in a natural, gradual way rather than being forced.

The friendship grew in an organic way over many years.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms organicallyorganics

Derived forms anorganicantiorganicbioorganicdisorganicelectroorganicenorganichaloorganicheterorganichomorganichyperorganicinterorganicintraorganic

Related forms inorganicorganicity

Appears in

Phrases (3)

See all

organic chemistry
the branch of chemistry concerned mainly with compounds containing carbon

Adjective + noun
organic debris
loose waste or remains derived from living things

Adjective + noun
organic remains
Material left from once-living plants or animals.

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English organic, organik, from Old French organique, from Latin organicus.

*werǵ- Proto-Indo-European organic Middle English organique Old French organicus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Chemistry

External links

# organic

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ɔɹˈɡænɪk/
**IPA (UK):** /ɔːˈɡænɪk/
**Frequency rank:** 6250

## Meanings
1. Grown or produced without artificial chemicals, fertilizers, or pesticides.
2. Relating to or coming from living things.
3. In chemistry, relating to compounds that contain carbon.
4. Developing in a natural, gradual way rather than being forced.

## Examples
- They buy organic vegetables from the local farm.
- The soil was rich in organic matter.
- Students studied organic compounds such as hydrocarbons.
- The friendship grew in an organic way over many years.

## Derived Forms
- anorganic
- antiorganic
- bioorganic
- disorganic
- electroorganic
- enorganic
- haloorganic
- heterorganic
- homorganic
- hyperorganic
- interorganic
- intraorganic

## Related Forms
- inorganic
- organicity

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *werǵ-
- Root: organic
- Root: organique
- Root: organicus

## Etymology
From Middle English organic, organik, from Old French organique, from Latin organicus.

## AI Etymology
Organic comes from Middle English organic, organik, from Old French organique, from Latin organicus. The historical chain includes Proto-Indo-European *werǵ-, Middle English organic, Old French organique, and Latin organicus. Modern senses include grown or produced without artificial chemicals, fertilizers, or pesticides and relating to or coming from living things. The wider word family includes derivatives such as anorganic, antiorganic, bioorganic, disorganic, electroorganic, and enorganic and related forms such as inorganic and organicity.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Chemistry

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