Organelle — Science definition
Defined in 2 courses:
- A structure inside a cell that does a particular job; the word means "little organ". (Life Science & Scientific Inquiry)
- A specialized structure inside a cell that carries out a specific function, like an organ does for a body. (Life Science: Biology)
Where it is taught
- Cell Structures & Organelles — Cells, Transport & Cellular Energy, Life Science & Scientific Inquiry, Grade 7
- Prokaryotic & Eukaryotic Cells & Their Organelles — Cells, Membranes & Exchange, Life Science: Biology, Grade 10
In use
The largest organelle in most of your cells is the nucleus, and it is where almost all the cell's DNA is kept — the long molecule that carries the instructions for building proteins.
Cell Structures & Organelles
A prokaryote — every bacterium and archaeon — lacks a membrane-bound nucleus and the typical eukaryotic organelle system.
Prokaryotic & Eukaryotic Cells & Their Organelles
Questions using organelle
Problem 1
Which organelle modifies, sorts, and packages proteins into vesicles for shipping?
- Mitochondrion
- Ribosome
- Nucleus
- Golgi apparatus
Answer and explanation
Golgi apparatus
The Golgi apparatus is the cell's shipping department, tagging and packaging proteins into vesicles addressed to their destinations.