Food products grown without synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, or genetic modification. Materials or compounds derived from living organisms.
From Greek 'organikos' meaning relating to an organ or instrument, later meaning relating to living organisms. The modern agricultural sense developed in the 1940s as a response to industrial farming methods.
The term 'organic' in agriculture was coined by British botanist Walter James in 1940, but ironically, all food was 'organic' until the 20th century - the label only became necessary when chemical farming made 'non-organic' the default. This linguistic shift reflects humanity's complex relationship with technological progress.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.