An individual living entity capable of carrying out the processes necessary to maintain life and, where applicable, reproduce.
An organism may consist of a single cell or many cells. Humans, animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria are examples of organisms, although biological classification can become more complex for entities such as viruses that do not meet all conventional definitions of life.
The term is broader than microorganism. Microorganisms are organisms or biological entities that are too small to be seen clearly without magnification, whereas organisms can be microscopic or macroscopic.
COMMONLY CONFUSED WITH
- Microorganism: an organism or biological entity that is microscopic in size.
- Infectious agent: an organism or other biological agent capable of causing infection; not every organism is an infectious agent.
SEE ALSO
