# function

Pronunciation: say "FUNGK-shuhn" US /ˈfʌŋkʃən/, UK /ˈfʌŋ(k)ʃən/

## Noun

1. The purpose something serves or the job it is meant to do, including the role a custom or practice plays in keeping a society going.
   - Simple: The job something does or the purpose it is for.
   - _Nobody in the office could figure out the function of the extra button on the copier._
   - _Designers stripped away every part of the device that served no clear function._
3. The physiological activity carried out by an organ or body part.
   - Simple: The natural work that an organ or body part does.
   - _Doctors monitored her kidney function closely after the surgery._
   - _The drug gradually restores normal function to damaged nerve cells._
5. A mathematical relation that pairs each element of one set with exactly one element of another.
   - Simple: A math rule that links each input to exactly one output.
   - _Every function assigns each input value a single output value._
   - _The teacher asked us to determine whether the relation was a function._
6. An organized official or social occasion.
   - Simple: An official or social event, such as a party or meeting.
   - _The charity hosts a formal function every winter._
   - _He shook hundreds of hands at the diplomatic function._
7. A block of code in a program that performs a particular task when called, often taking inputs and returning a result.
   - Simple: A piece of computer code that does a set task and can give back an answer.
   - _She refactored the login code into a single reusable function._
   - _Each function in the module handles one part of the calculation._
8. A result or outcome that depends on or stems from another thing.
   - Simple: A result that depends on or comes from something else.
   - _Crop yields are largely a function of rainfall and soil quality._
   - _The team's confidence proved to be a function of its recent wins._
9. One of the areas of an organization's work, such as finance or marketing, or the department that handles it.
   - Simple: One area of work inside a company, like sales or money matters, or the team that does it.
   - _The company moved its entire HR function to a shared office in another state._
   - _Leaders from every function, including legal, operations, and sales, met to plan the merger._
10. An official or professional position that a person occupies, or one of the duties that belong to it.
   - Simple: A job or official role that a person holds, or one of the duties that come with it.
   - _She took on the function of department head last spring._
   - _The deputy assumed the function of mayor during the emergency._

## Verb

2. To operate as intended; to be in action and carry out its work.
   - Simple: To work as it should and do its job.
   - _The backup generator functions only when the main power fails._
   - _Despite the damage, the engines continued to function normally._
4. To serve as something; to fill a particular role or use.
   - Simple: To work as or serve as a certain thing.
   - _In a pinch, the rolled-up coat functions as a pillow._
   - _These dense hedges function as a natural barrier against the wind._

## Other meanings

- (noun) The characteristic chemical behavior of a compound.

## Origin

This word comes from Middle French function and Old French fonction, from Latin functiō ("performance, execution"). That noun comes from functus, the past participle of fungor ("to perform, execute, discharge"), which traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰewg- ("to enjoy").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/function (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).