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electric organ

electric organ

1 4.0
A keyboard instrument that makes sounds like a pipe organ using electricity
  • noun
  • /ɪˈlɛktrɪk ˈɔrɡən/
translation icon : órgano eléctrico
  • "Don't you think the tyke's going to get a bit bored?" Johnno asked as he fiddled with the electric organ.
  • play the electric organ

Examples

  • He changed his life in those years, fed up with the ignominy of having to play the electric organ at the Hotel Viena coffee bar and at tacky neighborhood parties.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • During the concert, the talented musician showcased her skills on the electric organ.

  • Try changing the patch on the sound module to an electric organ patch.

    Academic text (1994)
  • At precisely five to eight, an electric organ begins to play an old Methodist hymn.

    Academic text (1994)
  • And so she keeps on tutoring electric organ, devoting every free moment to sports, falling regularly in and out of unlucky love.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • By then, the daughter was living on her own; she’d moved out in her sophomore year of college when her parents divorced; and now she had graduated and was tutoring electric organ.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • She tutors electric organ, but most of her free time she divides between swimming, skiing, and tennis, so she's trim and always tanned.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The church installed an electric organ that plays beautiful music during services.

  • He often practices on his electric organ to improve his musical compositions.

Synonyms

organ
vselectric organ
94 5.3

A large keyboard instrument that makes sound using air or electricity

is the keyboard instrument that uses machinery rather than air pipes to make sound
Hammond organ
vselectric organ
1 5.4

An electronic keyboard that makes a rich organ sound like a pipe organ, used in jazz and rock

is the general simulated pipe-sound keyboard, not the specific historic model
electronic organ
vselectric organ
4.4

A keyboard instrument that makes pipe-organ sounds using electronic parts

is the same instrument but uses a different technical name

How Realistic

pipe organ
4 5.3
electric organ
1 4.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

electric + organ

The meaning is directly compositional: 'electric' (powered or producing sound via electricity) modifies 'organ' (a keyboard instrument), so a learner can infer it refers to an organ that produces sound electronically. This straightforward adjective+noun pattern is common and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both words should understand the MWE.

Etymology

Electric organ combines electric (uses electricity) and organ (the big keyboard instrument with pipes). It is an organ that uses electric parts and speakers instead of pipes to make the same rich sound, so it means 'a keyboard instrument that produces organ-like sounds using electricity'.