organic meaning

Adjective: organic  or'ganik

1. Relating or belonging to the class of chemical compounds having a carbon basis
   "hydrocarbons are organic compounds" 
2. Being or relating to or derived from or having properties characteristic of living organisms
   "organic life"; "organic growth"; "organic remains found in rock" 
3. Involving or affecting physiology or bodily organs
   "an organic disease" 
4. Of or relating to foodstuff grown or raised without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides or hormones
   "organic eggs"; "organic vegetables"; "organic chicken" 
5. Simple and healthful and close to nature
   "an organic lifestyle" 
6. Constitutional in the structure of something (especially your physical makeup)
   - constituent, constitutional, constitutive

Noun: organic  or'ganik

1. A fertilizer that is derived from animal or vegetable matter
   - organic fertilizer, organic fertiliser [Brit]

Derived forms: organics

See also: essential, healthful, integrated, nonsynthetic, organ, organically, organism, structured, wholesome

Type of: fertiliser [Brit], fertilizer, plant food

Antonym: functional, inorganic

Encyclopedia: Organic Organic, Inc

[American slang]
mod. great.
• This is one fine, organic rally! I'm glad I stopped by.
• Wow, this whole day was organic!

[Architecture]

Said of a material or compound derived from vegetable or animal life.

[Business]
AmE / adjective [usually before noun]

1

used to describe the situation when a company develops its existing business rather than growing by buying other companies, etc:

The group announced plans for organic expansion and said it would open 830 new stores in 2007.

Sales are up 6.3 per cent, driven by strong organic growth.

Growth for the next couple of years will be organic rather than acquisitive.

⇨ INTERNAL (2)

organic development/expansion/growth

2

(about food, farming methods, etc.) produced or practised without using artificial chemicals:

organic cheese/milk/vegetables

The share of agricultural land under organic farming has increased considerably in the last ten years.

organically /; AmE / adverb:

The group aims to expand organically and through acquisition.

organically-grown fruit

[Defence]
Assigned to and forming an essential part of a military organization.
Organic parts of a unit are those listed in its table of organization for the Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, and are assigned to the administrative organizations of the operating forces for the Navy.

[Medicine]
adj
1
a : of, relating to, or arising in a bodily organ
b : affecting the structure of the organism ‹an organic disease› —compare FUNCTIONAL 1b
2
a (1) : of, relating to, or derived from living organisms (2) : relating to, yielding, dealing in, or involving the use of food produced with the use of feed or fertilizer of plant or animal origin without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers, growth stimulants, antibiotics, or pesticides ‹organic stores›
b (1) : of, relating to, or containing carbon compounds (2) : relating to, being, or dealt with by a branch of chemistry concerned with the carbon compounds of living beings and most other carbon compounds — or·gan·i·cal·ly adv — or·ga·nic·i·ty n pl -ties
n : an organic substance: as
a : a fertilizer of plant or animal origin
b : a pesticide whose active component is an organic compound or a mixture of organic compounds

• metallo-organic:     adjective (chem)& ...
• organic architecture:    [Architecture]Arch ...
• organic catatonia:    [Medicine]A neurop ...

Examples

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1. most synthetic polymers are organic.
2. we call this process organic evolution.
3. it is an organic part of our business.
4. it reacts explosively with organic material.
5. it was an organic demand of his being.