organ

 
Pronunciation: /ˈɔːg(ə)n/

noun

  • 1a part of an organism which is typically self-contained and has a specific vital function: the internal organs
  • used euphemistically to refer to the penis: the male organ
  • archaic a region of the brain formerly held to be the seat of a particular faculty.
  • 2 (also pipe organ) a large musical instrument having rows of pipes supplied with air from bellows (now usually electrically powered), and played using a keyboard or by an automatic mechanism. The pipes are generally arranged in ranks of a particular type, each controlled by a stop, and often into larger sets linked to separate keyboards. See also reed organ
  • an electronic keyboard instrument that produces sounds similar to those of a pipe organ.
  • 3a department or organization that performs a specified function: the organs of local government
  • 4a newspaper or periodical which promotes the views of a political party or movement: he repositioned the journal as a leading organ of neoconservatism

Origin:

late Old English, via Latin from Greek organon 'tool, instrument, sense organ', reinforced in Middle English by Old French organe