*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of organ

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *werǵ-der. Ancient Greek ὄργανον (órganon)bor. Latin organumder. Old French organebor. Middle English organe English organ From Middle English organe, from Old French organe and Old Eng

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To supply with an organ or organs; to fit with organs.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *werǵ-der. Ancient Greek ὄργανον (órganon)bor. Latin organumder. Old French organebor. Middle English organe English organ From Middle English organe, from Old French organe and Old English organ, both from Latin organum, from Ancient Greek ὄργανον (órganon, “an instrument, implement, tool, also an organ of sense or apprehension, an organ of the body, also a musical instrument, an organ”), from Proto-Indo-European *werǵ-. Doublet of organon, organum, and orgue.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:organe",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *werǵ-der.\nAncient Greek ὄργανον (órganon)bor.\nLatin organumder.\nOld French organebor.\nMiddle English organe\nEnglish organ\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"organ, instrument, tool\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*werǵ-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"ὄργανον\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"organum\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old French\", \"term\" : \"organe\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"fro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"organe\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"organ\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"organ\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "organe"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English organe"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "organe"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French organe"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "organ"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English organ"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "organum"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin organum"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "ὄργανον",
        "4": "",
        "5": "an instrument, implement, tool, also an organ of sense or apprehension, an organ of the body, also a musical instrument, an organ"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek ὄργανον (órganon, “an instrument, implement, tool, also an organ of sense or apprehension, an organ of the body, also a musical instrument, an organ”)"
    },
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        "3": "*werǵ-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *werǵ-"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "organon",
        "3": "organum",
        "4": "orgue"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of organon, organum, and orgue"
    },
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      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *werǵ-der.\nAncient Greek ὄργανον (órganon)bor.\nLatin organumder.\nOld French organebor.\nMiddle English organe\nEnglish organ"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/werǵ-"
    ],
    [
      "ὄργανον",
      "ὄργανον#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "organum",
      "organum#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "organe",
      "organe#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "organe",
      "organe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "organe",
      "organe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "organe",
      "organe#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "organ",
      "organ#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "organum",
      "organum#Latin"
    ],
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      "ὄργανον",
      "ὄργανον#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
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      "*werǵ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/werǵ-"
    ],
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      "organon",
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    ],
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      "organum",
      "organum#English"
    ],
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      "orgue",
      "orgue#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To supply with an organ or organs; to fit with organs."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete",
        "transitive"
      ],
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  }
}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

The larger part of an organism, composed of tissues that perform similar functions. · A body of an organization dedicated to the performing of certain functions. · A device, apparatus. · A musical instrument that has multiple pipes which play when a key is pressed (the pipe organ), or an electronic instrument designed to replicate such.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *werǵ-der. Ancient Greek ὄργανον (órganon)bor. Latin organumder. Old French organebor. Middle English organe English organ From Middle English organe, from Old French organe and Old English organ, both from Latin organum, from Ancient Greek ὄργανον (órganon, “an instrument, implement, tool, also an organ of sense or apprehension, an organ of the body, also a musical instrument, an organ”), from Proto-Indo-European *werǵ-. Doublet of organon, organum, and orgue.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 5 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:organe",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *werǵ-der.\nAncient Greek ὄργανον (órganon)bor.\nLatin organumder.\nOld French organebor.\nMiddle English organe\nEnglish organ\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"organ, instrument, tool\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*werǵ-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"ὄργανον\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"organum\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old French\", \"term\" : \"organe\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"fro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"organe\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"organ\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"organ\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "organe"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English organe"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "organe"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French organe"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "organ"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English organ"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "organum"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin organum"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
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        "2": "grc",
        "3": "ὄργανον",
        "4": "",
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      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek ὄργανον (órganon, “an instrument, implement, tool, also an organ of sense or apprehension, an organ of the body, also a musical instrument, an organ”)"
    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
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      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *werǵ-"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "organon",
        "3": "organum",
        "4": "orgue"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of organon, organum, and orgue"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
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        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:organe",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *werǵ-der.\nAncient Greek ὄργανον (órganon)bor.\nLatin organumder.\nOld French organebor.\nMiddle English organe\nEnglish organ"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/werǵ-"
    ],
    [
      "ὄργανον",
      "ὄργανον#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "organum",
      "organum#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "organe",
      "organe#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "organe",
      "organe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "organe",
      "organe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "organe",
      "organe#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "organ",
      "organ#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "organum",
      "organum#Latin"
    ],
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/werǵ-"
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    ],
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      "orgue",
      "orgue#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "word": "オルガン",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "orugan"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Korean",
      "lang_code": "ko",
      "word": "오르간",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "oreugan"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Māori",
      "lang_code": "mi",
      "word": "ōkana",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Vietnamese",
      "lang_code": "vi",
      "word": "oóc-gan",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
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        "The larger part of an organism, composed of tissues that perform similar functions.",
        "A body of an organization dedicated to the performing of certain functions.",
        "A device, apparatus.",
        "A musical instrument that has multiple pipes which play when a key is pressed (the pipe organ), or an electronic instrument designed to replicate such."
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for organ →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
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Permanent entry ID
w-b3JnYW4