Definitions

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

  • noun A group of organisms, such as an insect colony, that functions in an organized fashion analogous in some ways to the functioning of a single biological organism.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In sociology, a social organism. See the extract.

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

  • noun biology A social colony of individuals who, through division of labour, effective communication and self-organization, form a highly connected community that functions as if it were a single organism

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

super- +‎ organism

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Examples

  • The idea is to push the term superorganism to the fullest potential.

    WordPress.com News 2008

  • Kevin Kelly: I am not the first, nor the only one, to believe a superorganism is emerging from the cloak of wires, radio waves, and electronic nodes wrapping the surface of our planet.

    Evidence of a Global SuperOrganism | Disinformation 2008

  • So far the proposition that a global superorganism is forming along the internet power lines has been treated as a lyrical metaphor at best, and as a mystical illusion at worst.

    Evidence of a Global SuperOrganism | Disinformation 2008

  • The biologist EO Wilson calls an ant colony a 'superorganism' - could you take us through what that is?

    Peter Miller: Ants can help us manage complexity 2010

  • The social interactions are much like cells working together in a single body, hence the term "superorganism" - an organism comprised of many organisms, according to James Gillooly,

    PhysOrg.com - latest science and technology news stories 2010

  • The social interactions are much like cells working together in a single body, hence the term "superorganism" - an organism comprised of many organisms, according to James Gillooly,

    PhysOrg.com - latest science and technology news stories 2010

  • The social interactions are much like cells working together in a single body, hence the term "superorganism" -- an organism comprised of many organisms, according to James Gillooly, an assistant professor in the department of biology at UF's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

    Newswise: Latest News 2010

  • The social interactions are much like cells working together in a single body, hence the term "superorganism" - an organism comprised of many organisms, according to James Gillooly,

    R&D Mag - News 2010

  • The social interactions are much like cells working together in a single body, hence the term "superorganism" -- an organism comprised of many organisms, according to James Gillooly, an assistant professor in the department of biology at UF's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

    Newswise: Latest News 2010

  • The social interactions are much like cells working together in a single body, hence the term "superorganism" -- an organism comprised of many organisms, according to James Gillooly,

    Science Blog 2010

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