Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “funk” come from?

Funk derives from Middle English funke, from Old English funca, from Proto-Germanic funkô, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)peng-, which also produced Latin fumus from Proto-Indo-European dʰuh₂mós meaning smoke.

funk (English): Foul or unpleasant smell, especially body odor; A...

Definitions

  1. Foul or unpleasant smell, especially body odor; A...

Ancestry of “funk”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchfunquer—
2Vulgar Latinfumicare—
3Latinfūmigāre—
4Latinfūmus—
5Proto-Italicfūmossmoke
6Proto-Indo-Europeandʰuh₂móssmoke
7Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “funk”

  • funky
  • funkiness
  • funker
  • funkily
  • funkadelic
  • funkhole
  • funkmaster
  • unfunky
  • funkster
  • electrofunk
  • technofunk
  • funktastic
  • defunkify
  • drumfunk
  • neurofunk
  • funkcore
  • funkification
  • funksome
  • funklike
  • ultrafunky
  • funk
  • Funkfeuer
  • Rundfunkgerät
  • Rundfunk
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →