4  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Organ  \Or"gan\,  n.  [L.  organum,  Gr  ?;  akin  to  ?  work  and  E. 
  work:  cf  F.  organe.  See  {Work},  and  cf  {Orgue},  {Orgy}.] 
  1.  An  instrument  or  medium  by  which  some  important  action  is 
  performed,  or  an  important  end  accomplished;  as 
  legislatures,  courts,  armies,  taxgatherers,  etc.,  are 
  organs  of  government. 
 
  2.  (Biol.)  A  natural  part  or  structure  in  an  animal  or  a 
  plant,  capable  of  performing  some  special  action  (termed 
  its  function),  which  is  essential  to  the  life  or 
  well-being  of  the  whole;  as  the  heart,  lungs,  etc.,  are 
  organs  of  animals;  the  root,  stem,  foliage,  etc.,  are 
  organs  of  plants. 
 
  Note:  In  animals  the  organs  are  generally  made  up  of  several 
  tissues,  one  of  which  usually  predominates,  and 
  determines  the  principal  function  of  the  organ.  Groups 
  of  organs  constitute  a  system.  See  {System}. 
 
  3.  A  component  part  performing  an  essential  office  in  the 
  working  of  any  complex  machine;  as  the  cylinder,  valves, 
  crank,  etc.,  are  organs  of  the  steam  engine. 
 
  4.  A  medium  of  communication  between  one  person  or  body  and 
  another;  as  the  secretary  of  state  is  the  organ  of 
  communication  between  the  government  and  a  foreign  power; 
  a  newspaper  is  the  organ  of  its  editor,  or  of  a  party, 
  sect,  etc 
 
  5.  [Cf.  AS  organ,  fr  L.  organum.]  (Mus.)  A  wind  instrument 
  containing  numerous  pipes  of  various  dimensions  and  kinds, 
  which  are  filled  with  wind  from  a  bellows,  and  played  upon 
  by  means  of  keys  similar  to  those  of  a  piano,  and 
  sometimes  by  foot  keys  or  pedals;  --  formerly  used  in  the 
  plural,  each  pipe  being  considired  an  organ. 
 
  The  deep,  majestic,  solemn  organs  blow.  --Pope. 
 
  Note:  Chaucer  used  the  form  orgon  as  a  plural. 
 
  The  merry  orgon  .  .  .  that  in  the  church  goon 
  [go]. 
 
  {Barrel  organ},  {Choir  organ},  {Great  organ},  etc  See  under 
  {Barrel},  {Choir},  etc 
 
  {Cabinet  organ}  (Mus.),  an  organ  of  small  size,  as  for  a 
  chapel  or  for  domestic  use  a  reed  organ. 
 
  {Organ  bird}  (Zo["o]l.),  a  Tasmanian  crow  shrike  ({Gymnorhina 
  organicum}).  It  utters  discordant  notes  like  those  of  a 
  hand  organ  out  of  tune. 
 
  {Organ  fish}  (Zo["o]l.),  the  drumfish. 
 
  {Organ  gun}.  (Mil.)  Same  as  {Orgue} 
  b  . 
 
  {Organ  harmonium}  (Mus.),  an  harmonium  of  large  capacity  and 
  power. 
 
  {Organ  of  Gorti}  (Anat.),  a  complicated  structure  in  the 
  cochlea  of  the  ear,  including  the  auditory  hair  cells,  the 
  rods  or  fibers  of  Corti,  the  membrane  of  Corti,  etc  See 
  Note  under  {Ear}. 
 
  {Organ  pipe}.  See  {Pipe},  n.,  1. 
 
  {Organ-pipe  coral}.  (Zo["o]l.)  See  {Tubipora}. 
 
  {Organ  point}  (Mus.),  a  passage  in  which  the  tonic  or 
  dominant  is  sustained  continuously  by  one  part  while  the 
  other  parts  move 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Organ  \Or"gan\,  v.  t. 
  To  supply  with  an  organ  or  organs;  to  fit  with  organs;  to 
  organize.  [Obs.] 
 
  Thou  art  elemented  and  organed  for  other  apprehensions. 
  --Bp. 
  Mannyngham 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  organ 
  n  1:  a  fully  differentiated  structural  and  functional  unit  in  an 
  animal  that  is  specialized  for  some  particular  function 
  2:  a  government  agency  or  instrument  devoted  to  the  performance 
  of  some  specific  function;  "The  Census  Bureau  is  an  organ 
  of  the  Commerce  Department" 
  3:  (music)  an  electronic  simulation  of  a  pipe  organ  [syn:  {electric 
  organ},  {electronic  organ},  {Hammond  organ}] 
  4:  a  periodical  that  is  published  by  a  special  interest  group 
  "the  organ  of  the  communist  party" 
  5:  sound  is  produced  by  means  of  pipes  arranged  in  sets 
  supplied  with  air  from  a  bellows  and  controlled  from  a 
  large  complex  musical  keyboard  [syn:  {pipe  organ}] 
  6:  air  is  forced  through  free  reeds  by  bellows  [syn:  {harmonium}, 
  {reed  organ}] 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Organ 
  some  kind  of  wind  instrument,  probably  a  kind  of  Pan's  pipes 
  (Gen.  4:21;  Job  21:12;  Ps  150:4),  which  consisted  of  seven  or 
  eight  reeds  of  unequal  length. 
 

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