organism

Forms

organism n (plural organisme)^[1] The first record spells it organizm: „Acest vrednic de mirare organizm al trupului omenesc” “this marvellous organism of the human body”.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is a learned word with several models: DEX, MDA2, the DLR and MDN give borrowed from New Latin organismus, Modern Greek οργανισμός (organismós), German Organismus and French organisme, and Tiktin the same Greek–Latin, French and German words.^{[4][3][2][5][6]} DN and Wiktionary give French alone.^[7][1] The New Latin word is formed on Ancient Greek ὄργανον (órganon, “instrument, organ”) with the suffix -ismus.^[1] Inside Romanian it can be analysed as organ with -ism.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

MDA2 dates the first record to 1827, in Constantin Radovici Golescu's translation of Neofit Vamva's Elementary moral philosophy, where it means the whole of the organs of the human body.^[3][2] Tiktin also dates it to 1827.^[6]

Semantic evolution

The first sense is biological: the organs of a living being taken together, and so the living being itself.^[3][4] Negulici's vocabulary of 1848 defines it as the quality of what is organized and the arrangement of organs.^[8] In the 19th century it was carried over to anything that works as an organized whole, such as the state, the nation or the school system, and later to an organization or institution.^[2][3] The phrase organism modificat genetic “genetically modified organism” is recorded in the Romanian press in 2003, after English and French.^[9]

Timeline

• 1827 – organizm in Golescu's translation of Neofit Vamva, the first record.^[3][2]
• 1848 – in Negulici's vocabulary of new words.^[8]
• 1886 – Barcianu glosses it with German Körperbau and Organismus.^[10]
• 2003 – organism modificat genetic in the press.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. A living system, animal, plant or microorganism, able to grow, reproduce and sustain itself; a body or being.^[4][3]
2. (figurative) Anything that forms or works as an organized whole: organismul social.^[4][11]
3. An organization or institution.^[4][3]

Related words

• organ
• organiza
• organizație

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. organism
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 2, 223
4. ^ a b c d e DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 750
5. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. organism
6. ^ a b Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. organism
7. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. organism
8. ^ a b Negulici, I. D. (1848), Vocabular romînesc de toate vorbele streine întroduse pînă acum în limba romînească și de toate cuvintele ce s-ar mai putea introduce încă, București
9. ^ a b Dimitrescu, Florica (1997), Dicționar de cuvinte recente, 2nd ed., București: Logos (with the 3rd ed., 2013, in CLRE)
10. ^ Barcianu, Sava Popovici (1886), Dicționar român-germân și germân-român, revised by D. P. Barcianu, part I: român-germân, Sibiu: Institut tipografic
11. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. organism