organic compound

noun

Any compound containing carbon atoms covalently bound to other atoms.

“Meteorites contain a wide range of organic compounds.”

Opposite
inorganic compound
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Meanings

nounorganic compound (plural organic compounds)

plural organic compounds

  1. chemistryAny compound containing carbon atoms covalently bound to other atoms.

    Meteorites contain a wide range of organic compounds.

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite
inorganic compound

Origin

Not only are organic compounds essential to living organisms, but the common belief until the 19th century was that only living organisms could produce them, whence the name. When it was shown in the early 1800s that they could also be produced in the laboratory, the old name was kept.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Cantonese 有機化合物 /有机化合物
  • 有機化合物 /有机化合物 (jau⁵ gei¹ faa³ hap⁶ mat⁶)carbon containing covalent compound
Chinese Mandarin 有機化合物 /有机化合物
  • 有機化合物 /有机化合物 (yǒujī huàhéwù)carbon containing covalent compound
Czech organická sloučenina
  • organická sloučeninacarbon containing covalent compound
Danish organisk forbindelse
  • organisk forbindelsecarbon containing covalent compound
Dutch organische verbinding
  • organische verbindingcarbon containing covalent compound
Finnish orgaaninen yhdiste
  • orgaaninen yhdistecarbon containing covalent compound
French composé organique
  • composé organiquecarbon containing covalent compound
German organische Verbindung
  • organische Verbindungcarbon containing covalent compound
Greek οργανική ένωση
  • οργανική ένωση (organikí énosi)carbon containing covalent compound
Hungarian szerves vegyület
  • szerves vegyületcarbon containing covalent compound
Icelandic lífrænt efnasamband
  • lífrænt efnasambandcarbon containing covalent compound
Irish comhdhúil orgánach
  • comhdhúil orgánachcarbon containing covalent compound
Italian composto organico
  • composto organicocarbon containing covalent compound
Japanese 有機化合物
  • 有機化合物 (yūki kagōbutsu)carbon containing covalent compound
Malay sebatian organik
  • sebatian organikcarbon containing covalent compound
Māori matūwaro
  • matūwarocarbon containing covalent compound
Polish związek organiczny
  • związek organicznycarbon containing covalent compound
Portuguese composto orgânico
  • composto orgânicocarbon containing covalent compound
Romanian compus organic
  • compus organiccarbon containing covalent compound
Russian органи́ческое соедине́ние, органи́ческое вещество́
  • органи́ческое соедине́ние (organíčeskoje sojedinénije)carbon containing covalent compound
  • органи́ческое вещество́ (organíčeskoje veščestvó)carbon containing covalent compound
Spanish compuesto orgánico
  • compuesto orgánicocarbon containing covalent compound
Swedish organisk förening
  • organisk föreningcarbon containing covalent compound
Tagalog haying balangkap
  • haying balangkapcarbon containing covalent compound
Turkish organik bileşik
  • organik bileşikcarbon containing covalent compound
Welsh cyfansoddyn organig
  • cyfansoddyn organigcarbon containing covalent compound
Cite this entry
APA

organic compound. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/organic%20compound

MLA

“organic compound.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/organic%20compound. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “organic compound,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/organic%20compound.

Source: organic compound on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.