Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “funky” come from?

Funky derives from funk plus the English suffix -y, from Middle French -ie, from Latin -ia, ultimately tracing through Latin -ivus and Proto-Indo-European -kos.

funky (English): Offbeat, unconventional or eccentric; Not quite...

Definitions

  1. Offbeat, unconventional or eccentric; Not quite...

Ancestry of “funky”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfunkFoul or unpleasant smell, especially body odor; A...
2Frenchfunquer—
3Vulgar Latinfumicare—
4Latinfūmigāre—
5Latinfūmus—
6Proto-Italicfūmossmoke
7Proto-Indo-Europeandʰuh₂móssmoke
8Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “funky”

  • funkiness
  • funkily
  • unfunky
  • ultrafunky
  • funky
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →