Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To put in order; arrange in an orderly way.
  • intransitive verb To cause to have an orderly, functional, or coherent structure: synonym: arrange.
  • intransitive verb To cause (oneself) to act or live in an orderly or planned way.
  • intransitive verb To arrange or prepared for (an activity or event).
  • intransitive verb To establish as an organization: synonym: establish.
  • intransitive verb To induce (employees) to form or join a labor union.
  • intransitive verb To induce the employees of (a business or industry) to form or join a union.
  • intransitive verb To develop into or assume an orderly, functional, or coherent structure.
  • intransitive verb To form or join an activist group, especially a labor union.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To render organic; give an organic structure to; construct or modify so as to exhibit or subserve vital processes: commonly in the past participle.
  • In general, to form into a whole consisting of interdependent parts; coördinate the parts of; systematize; arrange according to a uniform plan or for a given purpose; provide with a definite structure or constitution; order.
  • In music, to sing or arrange in parts: as, to organize the halleluiah.
  • Synonyms To constitute, construct.
  • To assume an organic structure or a definite formation or constitution, as a number of individuals; become coördinated or systematically arranged or ordered.
  • Also spelled organise.
  • To arrange; plan; prepare.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb (Biol.) To furnish with organs; to give an organic structure to; to endow with capacity for the functions of life; ; -- in this sense used chiefly in the past participle.
  • transitive verb To arrange or constitute in parts, each having a special function, act, office, or relation; to systematize; to get into working order; -- applied to products of the human intellect, or to human institutions and undertakings, as a science, a government, an army, a war, etc.
  • transitive verb (Mus.), rare To sing in parts.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To arrange in working order.
  • verb transitive To constitute in parts, each having a special function, act, office, or relation; to systematize.
  • verb transitive To furnish with organs; to give an organic structure to; to endow with capacity for the functions of life; as, an organized being; organized matter; — in this sense used chiefly in the past participle.
  • verb transitive, music To sing in parts.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb create (as an entity)
  • verb form or join a union
  • verb cause to be structured or ordered or operating according to some principle or idea
  • verb bring order and organization to
  • verb plan and direct (a complex undertaking)
  • verb arrange by systematic planning and united effort

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English organisen, from Old French organiser, from Medieval Latin organizāre, from Latin organum, tool, instrument; see organ.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From New Latin organizare ("to organize") (compare Medieval Latin organizare ("to play on the organ")), from Latin organum ("organ"); see organ.

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