Meanings
plural organelles
- biologyA specialized structure found inside cells that carries out a specific life process (e.g. ribosomes, vacuoles).
Like organelles within a single cell, whole new specializations began to develop.
1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 1611 more example
The close analogies between DNA-containing eukaryotic cell organelles and microbial symbionts require revision of classic cell theory, wrote Scwemmler and Schenk (1980) on introducing the field of endocytobiology.
1991, Lynn Margulis, René Fester, Symbiosis as a Source of Evolutionary InnovationSynonyms: organella
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA specialized structure found inside cells that carries out a specific life process (e.g. ribosomes, vacuoles).
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*werǵ-
- Ancient Greekὄργανον (órganon)
- Latinorganum
- Old Frenchorgane
- Middle Englishorgane
- Englishorgan
- Englishorganelle
Translations
Catalan orgànul
- orgànula membrane bound compartment found within cells
Chinese Mandarin 胞器, 細胞器 /细胞器
- 胞器 (bāoqì)a membrane bound compartment found within cells
- 細胞器 /细胞器 (xìbāoqì)a membrane bound compartment found within cells
Czech organela
- organelaa membrane bound compartment found within cells
Dutch organel
- organela membrane bound compartment found within cells
Finnish soluelin
- soluelina membrane bound compartment found within cells
French organite
- organitea membrane bound compartment found within cells
German Organell, Organelle
- Organella membrane bound compartment found within cells
- Organellea membrane bound compartment found within cells
Hebrew אברון
- אברון (evron)a membrane bound compartment found within cells
Hungarian sejtszervecske, sejtorganellum
- sejtszervecskea membrane bound compartment found within cells
- sejtorganelluma membrane bound compartment found within cells
Icelandic frumulíffæri
- frumulíffæria membrane bound compartment found within cells
Indonesian organel
- organela membrane bound compartment found within cells
Irish orgánaid
- orgánaida membrane bound compartment found within cells
Japanese 細胞小器官
- 細胞小器官 (saibō shōkikan)a membrane bound compartment found within cells
Korean 세포소기관
- 세포소기관 (seposogigwan)a membrane bound compartment found within cells
Māori wāhanga pūtau
- wāhanga pūtaua membrane bound compartment found within cells
Polish organella, organellum
- organellaa membrane bound compartment found within cells
- organelluma membrane bound compartment found within cells
- organoida membrane bound compartment found within cells
Portuguese organela, organelo
- organelaa membrane bound compartment found within cells
- organeloa membrane bound compartment found within cells
Russian органе́лла, органо́ид
- органе́лла (organɛ́lla)a membrane bound compartment found within cells
- органо́ид (organóid)a membrane bound compartment found within cells
Spanish orgánulo, organelo
- orgánuloa membrane bound compartment found within cells
- organeloa membrane bound compartment found within cells
- elemento celulara membrane bound compartment found within cells
Swedish organell
- organella membrane bound compartment found within cells
Turkish organel
- organela membrane bound compartment found within cells
Ukrainian органе́ла, органо́їд
- органе́ла (orhanéla)a membrane bound compartment found within cells
- органо́їд (orhanójid)a membrane bound compartment found within cells
Vietnamese bào quan
- bào quana membrane bound compartment found within cells
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with organelle
Cite this entry
organelle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/organelle
“organelle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/organelle. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “organelle,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/organelle.
Source: organelle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.