organism
noun
Organism — a living thing capable of acting on its own behalf
Definition
A living thing that has (or can develop) the ability to act or function independently
In depth
An organism is a living entity organized enough to function, grow, and act with some degree of independence, whether that independence belongs to a single bacterium or a redwood centuries old. The word emphasizes structure and capacity over mere existence, distinguishing the living system from the inert material it is built from.
Origin
The word comes from Greek organon, an instrument or tool, by way of Latin organismus, reflecting an old conceptual link between living bodies and finely structured mechanisms. The eighteenth century saw the word settle into its modern biological sense, as natural philosophers began treating living bodies as organized systems of interdependent parts, rather than as inert matter animated from outside.
Usage examples
"The textbook defined an organism simply as anything capable of carrying out the basic processes of life on its own."
"She had begun to think of the city itself as a single vast organism, its streets pulsing like veins."
"Even the simplest organism, the lecturer noted, contains a complexity no human engineer has yet matched."
How to use it
Organism is the natural choice in scientific and biological writing, but it also lends itself well to metaphor — cities, societies, and institutions are often described as organisms when a writer wants to suggest organic growth, interdependence, or even disease.
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