An organism is any living thing, such as an animal, plant, fungus, or microbe, that can grow, reproduce, and respond to its environment.
From New Latin “organismus,” based on Greek “organon” meaning “tool, instrument, organ.” It suggests a living system whose parts work together like tools in a machine.
The word hints that a living thing is a set of ‘tools’ working as one system—heart, lungs, roots, leaves. Thinking in terms of organisms helps biology focus on how all those parts cooperate to keep life going, not just on any one piece.
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