English
organic
Organic comes from Middle English organic, from Old French organique, from Latin organicus.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEorganicus1‘instrumental; organic’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400organique1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500organic1‘functioning like an organ’
- Englishearliest quotation 1945organic1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English organic
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1945, U.S. War Department, Handbook on German Military Forces: “Most types of German field divisions include an organic…”.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEorganicusWiktionary, English organic‘instrumental; organic’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400organiqueWiktionary, English organic
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500organicWiktionary, English organic‘functioning like an organ’
- Englishearliest quotation 1945organicWiktionary, English organic. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1945, U.S. War Department, Handbook on German Military Forces: “Most types of German field divisions include an organic…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *werǵ- ‘to make’
work, energy, wright, boulevard, wrought, allergy, energetic, orgasm, liturgy, metallurgy, bulwark, argon, werk, irk, irksome, wark, erg, 23 more
Today it means
adj Pertaining to or derived from living organisms.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “organic”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Latin organicus / organic