oreotragus

[Pref. oreo-, and Gr. tragos = a he-goat.] Zool.: A genus of Antelopes, founded by Sunde vall, with a single species, Oreotragus salt at or , the Antilope saltatrix of Boddaert. (KLIPSPRINGER. ō-rěx-Is, s . [Gr.] Med.: A desire or longing. IMG:content-0359.png:[blocks in formation] orgament *or-ga-ment, s. [A corrupt. of Gr. oreiganon .] The same as ORIGAN (q. v.). or-gan, *or-gane, s . [Fr. organe an organ or instrument wherewith anything may be made or done ( Cotgrave ), from Latin organum = an implement, from Gr. organon, cogn. with ergon = work; Sp. & Ital. organo .] I. Ordinary Language : 1. An instrument; the means by which any office, duty, or function is performed; that by which some important action is performed or object attained; espec., one of those parts of an animal or vegetable body by which some particular action, duty, operation, or function is performed; a natural instrument; as, The eye is the organ of sight; the lungs are the organs of respiration; animals and plants have reproductive organs , . 2. A medium, means, or instrument of communication between persons; a medium or channel of conveying or expre ing one's opinions. ( Cowper : Task , ii. 355.) 3. Hence, a newspaper, as the medium of expre ing public opinion. "The organs of the extreme party." -London Evening Standard . 4. A musical instrument of any kind. 5. The vocal organs collectively; the voice. *6. Palate, taste. ( Gentleman Instructed, p. 367.) II. Technically: 1. Anat. (pl.): Members of an organized being through which its functions are executed. Thus the root, stem, and leaves of a plant, the heart, ., the brain and stomach of an animal are organs. They are composed of ti ues. 2. Music : The most comprehensive and important of all wind instruments. Its history can be traced back to the earliest antiquity. Starting from a small collection of pipes, perhaps even from a syrinx, it has gradually grown in size and complexity until, at the present day, one performer has complete control over many you sands of pipes. The ugab , translated "organ," in Genesis (iv. 21) and Job (xxi. 12), was probably one of the earliest and simplest forms of a collection of pipes placed over a wind-box or sound-board. In this rudimentary state, the wind was admitted to each pipe at the will of the player by means of a sliding strip of wood, which could be pulled in and out; this mechanism was the ancestor of our modern key-board. The next step was to have more than one series of pipes; strips of wood pa ing lengthwise under the mouths of each set enabled the player, by pulling a stop, to exercise a choice as to which he used. Afterward, as larger organs were constructed, the smaller were called "portative," because they could be carried about in proce ions, ., and the large were called "positive" [POSIT], because they were fixtures. The e ential principles of the construction of an organ were thus discovered, and it only remained to expand the instruments (1) by the placing of several organs under the control of one player, with a separate manual or clavier for each; (2) by the use of keys to be played by the feet, or pedals; (3) by the increase of the compa ; (4) by the introduction of great variety of tone; (5) by perfecting the bellows and wind-supply, and placing the registers under the organist's control by means eans of mechanical appliances. It is probable that the use of water in ancient organs (hence called hy draulic organs) was merely for the purpose of graduating the exit of air from a chamber into the pipes. In modern instruments, four, or sometimes even five, rows of keys are found, each representing a distinct instrument; these are named after their use or characteristics; as, Great organ, that used for grand effects, the principal manual; Choir organ, that used for the accompaniment of voices; Solo organ, that containing stops for solo use; Swell organ, pipes placed in a distant box, with shutters opening and closing like Venetian blinds, by means of which a crescendo can be made; Pedal organ, the pipes controlled by the pedals. Pipes range from 32 feet to 1⁄2 inch in length; they are divided into two great cla es, Flue and Reed, names which need no explanation. The title of stops generally intimates their quality of tone, e. g ., Flute, Violin, Oboe, Clarinet, Trumpet, . The touch of a large organ is made "light" by levers filled with highly compre ed air, hence called The Pneumatic levers; the long array of stops is controlled by composition-pedals, combination-pistons, or by ventils; and, lastly, mechanical means have superseded manual labor for blowing. By the old writers the instrument was called the organs, or a pair of organs . Organ of Bojanus : Comp. Anat. & Physiol.: A double organ with two bilaterally symmetrical halves, one on each side of the body, just below the pericardium, communicating with it and with the mantle cavity, in the Lamellibranch i at a. This organ performs the function of a kidney, is in some cases connected with reproduction, and probably corresponds to the pseudo-hearts of the Brachiopod a. 2931