Organise

How to spell organise

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce organise

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does organise mean?

1. verbTo arrange or coordinate people, tasks, or things into an orderly and effective structure.

Organise in a sentence

• She offered to organise the conference schedule for the whole team.

• We need to organise the files before the auditor arrives.

Where does organise come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word traces back to the Greek organon, which literally meant a 'tool' or 'instrument', and by extension a working part of the body or a means of doing something. From organon came the Late Latin organizare, meaning 'to furnish with organs' or 'to give an orderly, working structure to', the idea being that something is made to function like a living body with coordinated parts. The verb passed into Old French as organiser and was borrowed into English in the late 1300s, at first in the sense of arranging things into a connected, functioning whole. Over time the bodily image faded and the everyday meaning settled on putting things into a deliberate order or setting up an event or group. The British spelling keeps the -ise ending inherited through French, whereas the American form prefers -ize, reflecting the Greek root more directly; this is the exact spot where writers slip, since the two endings sound identical.

How the word is built

• organ (from Greek organon: tool, instrument)
• -ise (verb-forming suffix meaning 'to make or bring into a state')

British and American spelling

Organise is the British spelling. American English spells it organize.