Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “function” come from?

Function comes from Middle French fonction, from Latin functio, the noun form of functus, past participle of fungor, meaning to perform or execute, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰewg-.

function (English): What something does or is used for; A...

Definitions

  1. What something does or is used for; A...

Ancestry of “function”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchfunctionfunction
2Latinfunctiō—
3Latin-tiō—
4Latindissertātiō—
5Latindissertusarranged, disposed; explained
6Latindissereresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
7Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
8Latincalceusshoe
9Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
10Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

Words derived from “function”

  • functional
  • dysfunction
  • functionality
  • dysfunctional
  • functionally
  • malfunction
  • functionalist
  • functionalism
  • multifunctional
  • wavefunction
  • nonfunctional
  • functionalization
  • bifunctional
  • functor
  • multifunction
  • hypofunction
  • eigenfunction
  • multifunctionality
  • functionless
  • crossfunctional
  • hyperfunction
  • metafunction
  • monofunctional
  • subfunction
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ →