Definition: Organic compound
Etymology
Organic from Middle English organic, organik, from Old French organique, via Latin organicus from Greek organikos ("relating to an organ or instrument") and compound From Middle English compounen, from Middle French componre, compondre (“to put togetherâ€), from Latin componÅ, from Latin com- (“togetherâ€) + ponÅ (“to putâ€).
Not only are organic compounds essential to living organisms, but the common belief until the nineteenth century was that only living organisms could produce them, whence the name. When it was shown in the early 1800s that they could also be produced synthetically in the laboratory, the old name was kept.
Noun
organic compound (plural organic compounds)
- (organic chemistry) Any compound containing carbon atoms covalently bound to other atoms.
- Meteorites contain a wide range of organic compounds
Usage notes
By convention they do not include the carbides, carbonates, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide; carbon disulphide is debatable.
Credits
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