functionn.
/ˈfʌŋ(k)ʃn/, U.S. /ˈfəŋ(k)ʃən/ 1. † c. collective. Those people constituting a particular profession or trade; an order. Obsolete.† d. Discharge or performance of a role or office. Obsolete.
a. A person's role in life, society, or within an organization; an employment, profession, or calling.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > [noun] > regular occupation, trade, or profession
workeOE
mysteryc1390
facultyc1405
business1477
industrya1500
roomc1500
trade1525
pursuit1529
function1533
calling1539
profession?1552
vocation1553
entertainment1568
station1574
qualitya1586
employment1598
way of lifea1616
state1625
cloth1656
avocation1660
setworka1661
employ1669
estate1685
walk of life?1746
walk1836
society > occupation and work > duties > [noun]
wikec1000
workOE
wikenc1175
misterc1225
curec1300
officec1330
ward1338
duty1375
parta1382
businessc1400
commissionc1450
besoigne1474
roomth?1504
function1533
exercitation1737
pidgin1807
job1841
biz1862
1533 T. More 2nd Pt. Confut. Tyndals Answere viii. p. cccclxxiiii [Barnes values his own prayers above those of Our Lady and the saints] bycause the sayntes be all departed hense & dede and be no lenger of our funccyon.
1566 Briefe Exam. Certaine Declar. sig. *****1 Garmentes make not the person knowen by name, but his common function.
1574 Ordinance in D. Irving Hist. Scot. Poetry (1861) 451 The contraveners hereof, if they be ministers, to be secludit fra the function.
1612 J. Brinsley Ludus Lit. i. 1 (heading) A Discourse between two Schoolemasters, concerning their function.
1627 J. Cosin Coll. Private Devotions 356 To those which shalbe ordained to that holy Function.
1706 R. Estcourt Fair Example iv. 45 If I don't succeed here, I'll renounce the Honour of my Function.
1725 D. Defoe New Voy. round World ii. 26 Exercise no other Function than that of a Physician.
1791 E. Burke Appeal New to Old Whigs 10 With the utmost perfidy to their colleagues in function.
1811 C. Lamb Good Clerk in Reflector 2 434 The quill, which is the badge of his function, stuck under the dexter ear.
1863 A. P. Stanley Lect. Jewish Church I. xix. 428 The Jewish Prophets..included within their number functions so different as those of king and peasant.
1871 F. T. Palgrave Lyrical Poems 118 Then at thy noble function toil.
1952 A. Grimble Pattern of Islands ii. 53 My function would be to act as doggie—that is, clerical assistant and odd-job man—to..the District Officer.
1964 R. Gover Here goes Kitten 168 It's been stoutly rumored that Humphrey Goodfellow has, in public, called my function the—quote public relations racket unquote—and declared me a political hack!
1998 P. Gourevitch We wish to inform You viii. 104 Many of these weapons were being handed around free to people with no known military function.
b. Chiefly in plural. A duty attached to a role or office; an official duty.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > duties > [noun] > official duties
function?1542
business1715
?1542 R. Taverner On Saynt Andrewes Day Gospels f. xxxiiij There be angels and also archangels..and they haue distincte officies and seueral functions wherby god almyghty exerciseth hys wonders.
1546 T. Langley tr. P. Vergil Abridgem. Notable Worke ii. v. f. xlv The sunne risyng is the beginnyng of all affayres & functions, the night is a tyme of counsellyng & apparaunce.
1596 Bp. W. Barlow tr. L. Lavater Three Christian Serm. ii. 71 Eyther Prince or Subiect fayling in their seuerall functions and places.
1631 W. Gouge Gods Three Arrowes iv. §15. 401 Papists..are by law interdicted the execution of ministeriall functions.
a1701 H. Maundrell Journey Aleppo to Jerusalem (1703) 70 More..exact in their functions than the other Monks.
1792 J. Barlow Let. on Constit. of 1791 5 The quantity of prejudice with which their functions called them to contend.
1868 A. Helps Realmah I. iii. 52 Ministers are worked to death by their double functions—parliamentary and official.
1874 F. W. Farrar Life Christ 86 Caiaphas and Annas were dividing the functions of a priesthood which they disgraced.
1936 J. P. Marquand Thank you, Mr. Moto i. 5 The door was opened..by the door keeper,..ready to perform that function at any hour of the day.
1953 H. Macmillan Diary 21 Aug. (2003) 257 After supper, worked till rather late. There seems to be a large number of very difficult Compulsory Purchase Orders. I hate these ‘semi-judicial’ functions.
2009 Times 21 May 67/4 Although the Attorney-General..can recuse herself, the DPP is legally obliged to discharge his functions under her superintendence.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > worker > [noun] > one following specific occupation > those engaged in specific occupation collectively
faculty1511
vocation1567
function1574
state1625
trade1793
1574 T. Cartwright in J. Whitgift Def. Aunswere to Admon. viii. 350 The Romane and Alexandrian Byshopes leauyng the sacred function were degenerate to a secular rule or dominion.
c1580 in W. Rye Acct. Churches Cromer (1870) p. lxiii The Peere..will yealde further meanes of trade and wourke to every function.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 146 The Scribes are not a Sect, but a function.
1691 W. King State Protestants of Ireland 402 Then all to Force in, Killing the Guards, after giving the Tinker and the rest of his Function their last Supper.
1726 A. Pope tr. Homer Odyssey V. xxi. 177 Thy coward function ever is in fear [said to a priest].
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > doing > practice, exercise, or doing > [noun]
workingOE
hauntinga1325
exercise1393
occupation1432
exercite1485
practicec1487
function1576
exercitation1579
extent1594
gestion1599
prosecution1605
carrying1711
1576 U. Fulwell Ars Adulandi v. sig. H.ii Thou hast read Saint Paules rules vnto Timothe, as touching the framing of his lyfe to his doctrine, and his woorkes to his wordes that in the function of his ministerye might be found no fault.
1595 S. Daniel First Fowre Bks. Ciuile Warres v. xcvii. sig. Ee His hand, his eye, his wits all present, wrought The function of the glorious part he beares.
1656 T. Blount Glossographia Function, the exercise, or executing of some office or charge.
1701 J. Swift Disc. Contests Nobles & Commons v. 57 A Representing Commoner in the Function of his Publick Calling.
2.
a. An activity or mode of operation that is proper or natural to a person or thing; the purpose or intended role of a thing.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > [noun] > proper operation or function
workOE
office1340
helpingc1400
servicea1475
use1509
function1537
working1643
the mind > mental capacity > intellect > [noun] > exercise of intellect > proper activity
function1537
the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > moral philosophy > [noun] > activity of the mind, etc.
function1537
working1598
the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > [noun] > the use to which a thing is put
naita1522
function1537
employment1597
service1600
1537 Inst. Christen Man f. 3v Neyther my sayd powers coude exercyse the natural function and offyce, for the whiche they were ordeyned by god at the fyrste creation.
?1541 R. Copland Galen's Fourth Bk. Terapeutyke sig. Cj, in Guy de Chauliac's Questyonary Cyrurgyens There be two fyrste dyfferences of the functions [Fr. functions] and actions of medycyne.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) ii. iii. 339 As her appetite shall play the god With his weake function . View more context for this quotation
1651 J. Howell Vision 120 Light..doth exercise its function with such an admirable agility and suddennes as to expand it self from East to West over the whole surface of the Hemisphere.
1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 596 Nature within me seems In all her functions weary of her self. View more context for this quotation
1730 T. Fuller Exanthematologia ii. 259 The Spirits..are not wasted nor heated, but increas'd, refreshingly cherish'd, strengthen'd for their proper Functions.
1776 A. Smith Inq. Wealth of Nations I. i. iv. 29 These rude bars, therefore, performed at this time the function of money. View more context for this quotation
1793 B. Franklin Observ. Smoky Chimneys 14 Its [sc. the chimney's] true proportion, respecting its function and utility, depends on quite other principles.
1816 R. Jameson Treat. External Characters Minerals (ed. 2) 184 The letters are placed as if all the angles and edges had different functions.
1818 S. T. Coleridge Friend (new ed.) III. x. 236 The functions of comparison, judgment, and interpretation.
1854 D. Brewster More Worlds v. 93 The sun has a great function to perform in controlling the movements of the whole system.
1862 H. Spencer First Princ. i. i. §2. 8 They assert that the sole function of the State is the protection of persons against each other, and against a foreign foe.
1922 J. Strachey tr. S. Freud Group Psychol. vii. 69 We have called it the ‘ego ideal’, and by way of functions we have ascribed to it self-observation, the moral conscience, the censorship of dreams, and the chief influence in repression.
1941 W. Nelson Airplane Lofting i. 11 The float as a whole is shaped to give as little air drag as is consistent with its other functions.
1974 M. Clifford Encycl. Home Wiring & Electr. vi. 106 Cable straps and cable staples perform the same function.
2014 Current World Archaeol. Feb. 36/1 We are still not sure of this building's function, but the architectural remains..suggest that it was an important public building.
b. Biology. A specific action performed by an organ or other part of the body of a living organism; the activity that is special, normal, or proper to an organ or other part of the body of a living organism. Also: the action of functioning in this way. Also as a mass noun.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > part defined by form or function > [noun] > function of part
function1565
the world > life > the body > system > [noun] > organ > faculty or function of
powerc1454
faculty1543
function1565
1565 J. Hall Anat. 3rd Treat. i. i. 39 in tr. Lanfranc Most Excellent Woorke Chirurg. Ye wormlike processe, called Vermiformis epiphysis: whose function is chiefly, to stoppe and open the pore, by contractinge together, or distending it selfe.
1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream iii. ii. 178 Darke night, that from the eye, his function takes, The eare more quicke of apprehension makes. View more context for this quotation
1664 H. More Apol. in Modest Enq. Myst. Iniquity 500 The Earth..modified into a frame fit for the functions of life.
1693 R. Bentley Confut. Atheism from Origin of World: 3rd Pt. 28 If our Air had not been a springy elastical Body, no Animal could have exercised the very function of Respiration.
1705 F. Fuller Medicina Gymnastica 26 Animal Spirits..serve to execute other Functions, besides that of Motion.
1793 M. Baillie Morbid Anat. xiii. 189 There is no disadvantage to the animal functions produced by this variety.
1808 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 19 386 Before we can..understand the functions of the nerves, we must understand those of the brain.
1832 D. Brewster Lett. Nat. Magic iii. 51 Some accidental and temporary derangement of the vital functions.
1886 A. Winchell Walks & Talks in Geol. Field 260 They [sc. Pterosaurs] foreshadowed birds..in the flying function.
1918 New Phytologist 17 189 The teaching of all physiology is..the explanation of the functions of morphological parts, while the teaching of morphology is the explanation of the structures which carry on known functions.
1958 J. E. Morton Molluscs ii. 44 Nearly every gastropod shell has other features whose function may not be in the least evident.
1992 F. A. Bazzaz & D. D. Ackerly in M. Fenner Seeds i. 6 Different functions of a single plant might be limited by different resources.
2013 Daily Tel. 28 June 8/4 The fatty acids..are crucial to brain structure and function.
c. Linguistics. The part a word or other linguistic unit plays in a larger (esp. syntactic) structure. Frequently opposed to form. Cf. function word n. at Compounds.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > [noun] > grammatical function
function1837
case function1881
1837 Q. Christian Spectator Sept. 427 The proper functions of the ablative have passed for the most part to the genitive.
1894 O. Jespersen Progress in Lang. v. 135 Syntax is nothing but the theory of the functions, i.e., meanings, of the grammatical forms.
1919 E. Classen Outl. Hist. Eng. Lang. ii. 35 One of the consequences of the fixing of the word order was that each word in the sentence had its particular syntactic function according to its exact position, and that the survivals of free word order which were to be found in Old English disappeared in Middle English.
1933 L. Bloomfield Lang. xvi. 265 Lexical forms which have any function in common, belong to a common form-class.
1968 Language 44 747 The sentence is primitive in that the forms representing the form classes ‘noun’ and ‘verb’ are inherently so.., and so are the functions of these forms.
1994 S. Romaine Lang. in Society vi. 181 This is generally referred to as multifunctionality, i.e. use of the same lexical item in more than one grammatical function.
3.
a. In the Christian Church: a religious ceremony. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > observance, ritual > [noun] > instance or form of
churchOE
servicelOE
rightlOE
observancea1250
officec1300
preachingc1350
ritec1350
ceremonyc1380
usea1382
prayerc1384
form1399
ordinancea1400
ordera1425
worship?a1425
worshippingc1443
common prayer1493
common servicea1500
ordinarya1513
celebrity1534
church servicea1555
religious exercise1560
function1564
agend1581
church office1581
liturgy1593
Common Prayer service1648
ritualities1648
ceremonial1672
hierurgy1678
occasion1761
religiosities1834
cursus1865
joss-pidgin1886
worship service1929
1564 tr. P. M. Vermigli Most Fruitfull & Learned Comm. f. 261v And this function [L. functio] was deriued of an olde ceremony and custome of the Iewes.
1640 in Trans. St. Paul's Eccles. Soc. 1 46 Wee have had neyther prayers nor any other function her thes two yers.
1670 S. Wilson Lassels's Voy. Italy (new ed.) ii. 53 A croβe set with Diamans and Pearles, which the Pope wears at his brest in great functions.
1741 C. Middleton Hist. Life Cicero I. vi. 416 The dedication was not performed with any of the solemn words and rites which such a function required.
1789 H. L. Piozzi Observ. Journey France I. 83 The Christmas functions here were showy.
1818 H. V. Elliott Let. in J. Bateman Life Bp. D. Wilson (1870) iv. 70 These were the finest parts of the ‘Function’ as it is called.
1854 W. M. Thackeray Newcomes I. xi. 112 The function over, one almost expects to see the sextons put brown Hollands over the pews.
1868 R. Browning Ring & Bk. II. iv. 20 After function's done with, down we go.
1884 Sat. Rev. 7 June 745/2 On Wednesday and Thursday last week there were functions in two adjacent Cathedrals.
1906 Eccl. Rev. Apr. 356 In the first ages of the Church the Easter function began late in the evening and continued till dawn.
1994 A. Oldcorn tr. R. Bonfil Jewish Life Renaissance Italy xi. 82 They were..obliged to attend the sermons of Christian missionaries and the Christmas functions of the Church.
b. A public ceremony; a large or formal social event; an organized social gathering.private function, state function: see the first element.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > social event > [noun]
special occasion1574
affair1736
functiona1792
event1820
doa1824
socialities1825
occasion1855
time1878
a1792 J. Montagu Voy. Mediterranean (1799) 261 If they intended to assist at the function, it was expected that they should appear unarmed.
1864 C. Kingsley Roman & Teuton iv. 123 Then was held a grand function. Dietrich..had Italy ceded to him by a ‘Pragmatic’ sanction, and Zeno placed on his head the sacrum velamen, a square of purple.
1878 W. Besant & J. Rice By Celia's Arbour III. i. 4 There was a Function of some kind—a Launch—a Reception—a Royal Visit—going on in the Dockyard.
1884 Manch. Examiner 11 Nov. 5/2 The American people are fond of functions.
1894 G. Du Maurier Trilby (1895) 333 A prandial function which did not promise to be very amusing.
1902 Amer. Kitchen Mag. Mar. 227/1 Radishes and cucumbers and maple sugar bonbons, and, of course, all kinds of egg novelties, providing they are not too silly, are the natural fittings for an Easter function.
1950 Washington Post 23 Sept. 8/1 How to treat Soviet delegates invited to social functions is a troublesome question.
1984 Tourist (Ansett Airlines) Jan. 12 This two-storey..restaurant seats 140, caters in fine style for all functions.
2012 Daily Tel. 12 Nov. 8/2 He said that he had a further function to go on to where he felt black tie wouldn't go down well.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > doing > [noun]
workingOE
deedc1000
makinglOE
gestsa1340
doing1372
makea1400
workmanshipc1400
faction1447
action1483
performancec1487
performation1504
performent1527
fact1548
practice1553
agitation1573
practisy1573
function1578
affair1598
acture1609
perpetrationa1631
employing1707
the world > action or operation > behaviour > [noun] > demeanour or bearing
i-bereOE
i-letelOE
lundc1175
semblanta1240
countenancec1290
fare1297
porturec1300
bearinga1325
portc1330
abearc1350
demeaning14..
habit1413
apporta1423
havingsa1425
maintenance?c1436
demeanc1450
maintain?1473
deport1474
maintaining1477
demeanance1486
affair1487
containing1487
behaviour1490
representation1490
haviour?1504
demeanour1509
miena1522
function1578
amenance1590
comportance1590
portance1590
purport1590
manage1593
style1596
dispose1601
deportments1603
comportment1605
garb1605
aira1616
deportment1638
comport1660
tour1702
sway1753
disport1761
maintien1814
tenue1828
portment1833
allure1841
1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 58 A trifolde kinde of lyfe, Actiue which is about ciuill function and administration. Speculatiue, which is in continuall meditation and studye. The thirde a lyfe ledde, moste commonlye a lewde lyfe.
1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet ii. ii. 558 Teares in his eyes..A broken voyce, an his whole function suting With formes to his conceit.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) i. iii. 139 Function is smother'd in surmise. View more context for this quotation
5.
a. Mathematics. Originally: a variable quantity regarded in relation to a variable or variables upon which its value depends; an algebraic expression consisting of one or more variables and constants. In later use chiefly: a correspondence between two sets (called the domain and range of the function) which assigns to each element of the domain a single element of the range; a variable quantity determined by such a correspondence.Frequently with distinguishing word, as differentiable function, logarithmic function, polynomial function, etc.The concept of a mathematical function has varied considerably since it first appeared in the work of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716) and Johann Bernoulli (1667–1748), undergoing a process of refinement well into the early 20th century. Owing to the gradual nature of this refinement and the large number of mathematicians who contributed to this, opinions on who is ultimately responsible for introducing the modern version of the concept differ—Johann Dirichlet (1805–58), Richard Dedekind (1831–1916), Karl Weierstrass (1815–97), and Nikolai Lobachevsky (1792–1856) being four of the most frequently cited candidates.One of the most important qualities of the modern definition of a function is its generality compared with many previous definitions, these typically describing what would today be considered to form only particular class of function. In formal terms, a function is often defined set-theoretically as a set of ordered pairs ( x , y ) (where x is an element of the domain and y an element of the range) in which any given value of x appears only once.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > mathematical number or quantity > [noun] > particular qualities > variable
function1758
variable1816
alternant1880
the world > relative properties > number > algebra > [noun] > expression > function
function1758
exponential1784
potential function1828
syzygy1850
permutant1852
Green function1863
theta-function1871
Greenian1876
Gudermannian1876
discriminoid1877
Weierstrassian function1878
gradient1887
beta function1888
distribution function1889
Riemann zeta function1899
Airy integral1903
Poisson bracket1904
Stirling approximation1908
functional1915
metric1921
Fourier transform1923
recursive function1934
utility function1934
Airy function1939
transfer function1948
objective function1949
restriction1949
multifunction1954
restriction mapping1956
scalar function1956
Langevin function1960
mass function1961
1758 J. Landen Disc. Residual Anal. 31 One part thereof, called the prime member, shall be some function of x.
1779 A. Rees Chambers's Cycl. (new ed.) II. (at cited word) The term function is used in algebra, for an analytical expression any way compounded of a variable quantity, and of numbers, or constant quantities.
1816 C. Babbage tr. S. F. Lacroix Elem. Treat. Differential & Integral Calculus i. 2 Let us take a function a little more complicated, u = ax2.
1857 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 147 49 The second term will always involve a logarithmic function.
1885 H. W. Watson & S. H. Burbury Math. Theory Electr. & Magnetism I. 242 The functions ϕa and ϕb may be positive or negative.
1903 Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 4 424 It will be assumed that the functions under consideration..are real, single-valued, continuous, differentiable functions of a real parameter.
1936 Jrnl. Symbolic Logic 1 37 According to Dirichlet's definition of a function, f, of one variable, f can be taken as a class of ordered object pairs.
1969 Educ. Stud. Math. 1 444 In certain analysis courses (in German High Schools) it is usual only to treat polynomial functions or rational functions.
2016 J. Stewart et al. Precalculus (ed. 7) ii. 160 The graph of a function f gives a picture of the behavior or ‘life history’ of the function.
b. With of. A physical quantity regarded in relation to one or more other specified quantities upon which its value depends, or in terms of which it can be expressed.
ΚΠ
1820 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 110 64 The intensity of the extraordinary ray..will have an additional factor, a function of the azimuth A of the principal section of the crystallized plate and the position of the refracted ray.
1883 Proc. Philos. Soc. Glasgow 16 56 The salinity is a function of geographic position, depth and time.
1931 R. A. Cutting in Amer. Jrnl. Surg. 12 271 The carbon dioxide content of the blood is a direct function of the efficiency of the respiratory mechanism.
1971 Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller-Times 11 July 8 b Skin temperature is a function of the volume of blood flow.
2013 Wildlife Soc. Bull. 37 846/2 Ground-level temperature is a function of ambient temperature and solar radiation.
c. In extended use. With of: a thing dependent on one or more other specified factors.
ΚΠ
1839 J. W. Donaldson New Cratylus iii. 328 Compound words are, as it were, functions of two or more variables.
1876 L. Tollemache in Fortn. Rev. Jan. 110 A man's fortitude under given painful conditions is a function of two variables.
1902 J. M. Baldwin Dict. Philos. & Psychol. II. 823/2 Value is a function of desire or judgment, expressing a relation between subject and object.
1951 Radio-electronic Engin. Aug. 5/1 Humans are a function of their genetic blueprint plus their environment.
1993 Appl. Linguistics 14 80 Kessler..investigated the deletion of (s) on plural nouns in Black English Vernacular and found that it was a function of socio-economic factors such as age and socio-economic class, as well as the phonological environment of the form.
2007 N.Y. Mag. 17 Sept. 18/1 The GOP's remarkable success at presidential politics the past 40 years has been a function of its ‘daddy party’ image.
6. Chemistry. That aspect of the chemical behaviour of a molecule which is due to the presence of a particular functional group; (also) = functional group n. at functional adj. and n. Compounds.
ΚΠ
1858 Rep. 27th Meeting Brit. Assoc. Advancem. Sci. 1857 Notices & Abstr. 46 In the nomenclature here proposed, the root of the name of any substance denotes the group to which it belongs, the termination, its place in the group, and its chemical function.
1866 H. Watts Dict. Chem. IV. 130 The termination -ol, to indicate the alcoholic function, is more employed by French than by English chemists.
1933 Jrnl. Amer. Chem. Soc. 55 3912 Substances of simple function are defined as those containing a function of one kind only, which may be repeated several times.
1978 Nature 2 Mar. 56/2 The carboxyl group was replaced by functions that included: tetrazolyl-, sulphonyl-, sulphonamido-, phosphoryl-, substituted phosphoryl- and methylphosphinyl.
2001 Ann. Bot. 88 1093/2 The xanthophyll cycle involves stepwise removal (de-epoxidation) of two oxygen functions (the epoxy groups) in violaxanthin to form zeaxanthin.
7. In design: practical use or purpose (esp. as opposed to aesthetic considerations).Often contrasted with form.
ΚΠ
1880 Brit. Architect 9 Apr. 173/2 Mr. Seddon..began..from an architectural point of view,..showing..that decoration and function should always go together.
1921 Cumberland (Maryland) Evening Times 26 May 14/1 The theory..is that if a building follows the natural lines of its purpose form follows function—the exterior will evolve its own natural design.
1965 Marketing Information Guide Sept. 5/1 Individual papers cover such topics as function versus aesthetics in packaging, [etc.].
1990 Daily Tel. 4 Aug. (Colour Suppl.) 5 (advt.) This is an elegant example of function and form in harmonious accord.
2011 A. Jefferson & P. Lokken Daily Life Colonial Lat. Amer. iv. 68 Furniture, what there was of it, was built for function rather than comfort.
8. Computing. Originally: an operation that enables a computer to perform one or more tasks. In later use: a set of instructions in a program that enables it to perform a single task, esp. that of returning a particular value when provided with data; (also more generally) an operation or command that a piece of software is capable of performing (frequently with distinguishing word, as delete function, undo function, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > programming language > program or code > [noun] > instruction
command1946
function1946
fast forward1947
instruction1947
threshold function1947
statement1957
mips1973
1946 Math. Tables & Other Aids Computation 2 97 These panels are grouped to form 30 units.., each of which performs one or more of the functions requisite to an automatic computing machine.
1964 F. L. Westwater Electronic Computers i. 10 A calculation can be carried out if the necessary functions are carried out in the correct order.
1978 Proc. COMPSAC 78: IEEE Computer Soc. 2nd Internat. Computer Software & Applic. Conf. 323/2 The design and implementation of a program involves the integration and concatenation of a set of functions.
1984 PC 24 Jan. 365/3 Repeated use of the delete function will pull characters in from the right and cause the cursor to gobble them up.
2014 A. Robinson et al. Rasberry Pi Projects iv. 78 Later these functions will be developed to control the application.
2015 P. Weverka Windows 10 for Seniors for Dummies xiv. 279 You may be able to undo a series of actions by repeating the undo function.
9. A division or department within a larger company, organization, etc., that performs a particular activity under the control of a director or manager.
ΚΠ
1954 N.Y. Herald Tribune 13 July 28/4 A..consolidation of production and sales functions of Diamond's moulded pulp and paper facilities was announced.
1968 Financial Times 28 Mar. 28/4 He will..head the group management service function which includes computer and work study departments.
1997 Sunday Times 26 Oct. (Appointments section) 2/1 (advt.) You will..develop strategies and policies, liaising with the group HR function in the introduction of best practice on everything from personnel systems to employee relations.
2003 BusinessWeek 22 Sept. 68/3 These outfits..place their top executives and core corporate functions in different countries to gain a competitive edge.
2014 L. A. Hill et al. Collective Genius iv. 73 He had joined VW..in 2009 to help create the marketing function the firm needed to achieve its ambitious corporate goals.
Compounds
function key n. a key on the keyboard of a typewriter, computer, etc., that initiates an operation other than the printing or display of a single alphanumeric character; esp. (in later use) a key on a computer keyboard to which the user can assign an operation, typically being one of twelve such keys labelled F1, F2, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > hardware > peripherals > [noun] > keyboard > individual keys
space bar1887
function key1930
delete key1963
esc1963
Alt mode1964
carriage return1965
return1965
return key1965
enter1966
Alt key1968
home key1968
arrow key1969
tab1969
control1976
delete1977
control key1978
cursor key1979
Alt1981
delete button1981
escape key1982
hot key1983
1930 U.S. Patent 1,765,042 3/2 In addition to the character keys, I employ three function keys, the unison, the tape and the rub-out.
1985 Which Computer? Apr. 35/2 A special function key on the keyboard will produce a screen dump of whatever is currently on the screen.
2012 J. R. Rich How to do Everything MacBook Air i. 15 Here's a quick rundown of what each of the function keys on the keyboard (f1 through f12) are used for when using the OS X operating system.
function room n. a room, typically in a hotel, pub, or similar public building, which is used for social events, meetings, ceremonies, etc.
ΚΠ
1895 Boston Post 10 Dec. 1/2 Mrs. Uhl, mother of the bride, was escorted by her young son..to the function room.
1960 J. Felsenstein (title) Guide to function room furniture.
1989 T. M. Albert Tales Ulster Detective 82 The Ponderosa..had a lounge bar, restaurant, also various function rooms with a trade entrance from a side street.
2014 J. M. E. Callidden Mystic Awakening vi. 88 I was busy in a function room on the upper floor of a hotel, while attending a two-week training course for the firm.
function space n. Mathematics a set whose elements are functions; esp. a vector space or topological space whose elements are functions (sense 5a).
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > geometry > geometric space > [noun] > topological
manifoldness1873
manifold1878
submanifold1898
function space1912
topological space1913
sheaf1955
1912 Science 15 Mar. 436/1 Dr. Louis Ingold: ‘Displacements in a function space.’
1968 E. T. Copson Metric Spaces iv. 57 The simplest function space consists of all functions x(t) continuous on a closed interval [a, b].
2012 Philos. Sci. 79 921 Function spaces, unlike phase spaces, do not come equipped with normalized measures.
function-specific adj. defined by or dedicated to a specific role or function.
ΚΠ
1939 S. Afr. Med. Jrnl. 13 245/1 The concept of an interdependent system between the respiratory enzymes and the function-specific enzymes of a cell is justifiable.
1974 Urban Life & Culture 2 472 In the [high-rise] building, the common transit areas and function-specific facilities are the typical areas of chance encounters.
2008 S. Wales Argus (Nexis) 10 Dec. Each player has a ‘function specific’ training routine, however there are some similarities.
function suite n. a suite of rooms, typically in a hotel, pub, or similar public building, used for hosting social events, meetings, ceremonies, etc.
ΚΠ
1965 Brewers' Jrnl. & Hop & Malt Trades' Rev. 20 Jan. 6/2 The ground-floor block includes a function suite to accommodate 150 diners, kitchens and ancillary stores.
1991 S. R. Charsley Rites of Marrying iii. 49 These [hotels] might be large establishments with more than one ‘function suite’.., able therefore to accommodate a wedding of almost any size.
2014 H. MacQuarrie In Greater Scheme of Things iv. 25 She was the Manageress of Events in the function suite at a local hotel and worked with a team of helpers.
function table n. Mathematics a table specifying the value of given function corresponding to each possible value of the variable.
ΚΠ
1922 Jrnl. Inst. Actuaries 53 86 Ten tables of different functions with two central difference entries are of far greater value to the computer than a single function table to a tenth of the interval.
1970 SIAM Rev. 12 400 Advances in the theory and practice of function approximation in the last twenty years have almost made large function tables obsolete.
2015 M. Neagoy Planting Seeds Algebra vi. 104 Function tables with missing values help students see inverse relationships between operations.
function theory n. Mathematics any of several branches of mathematics concerned with the properties of functions; esp. mathematical analysis (analysis n. 5). [Ultimately after French théorie des fonctions ( J. L. L. Lagrange Théorie des fonctions analytiques (1797)). Compare German Funktionentheorie (1834 or earlier).]
ΚΠ
1884 Amer. Jrnl. Math. 6 177 The work of Professor Weierstrass in the modern function-theory is of such commanding importance that it may not be out of place to give a clear and elementary account of his somewhat peculiar nomenclature and methods.
1943 Amer. Math. Monthly 50 487 I shall conclude by mentioning two other lattices which play basic roles in function theory and logic.
2009 S. Hassani Math. Methods ix. 317 It was really calculus that triggered an explosion in function theory, and indeed, in all mathematics.
function word n. Linguistics a word whose primary purpose is to contribute to the syntax rather than the meaning of a sentence.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > a part of speech > [noun] > function word
particle1533
parcel1571
syncategorem1655
agency1778
empty word1854
symbolic1871
form-word1875
structural word1884
particule1889
pheme1906
structure word1925
function word1927
operator1938
logical word1940
keneme1950
rheme1953
functor1958
1927 Language 3 92 These original meanings gradually fade and the words tend to become merely form or function words—auxiliaries of a future tense.
1967 R. A. Waldron Sense & Sense Devel. ii. 45 Even individual words like and, but, or,..(which are variously known as function words, form words, operators, functors, or kenemes)..are defined grammatically rather than, or as well as, lexically.
1994 S. Pinker Lang. Instinct iv. 118 Function words are bits of crystallized grammar.
Derivatives
ˈfunctioned adj. provided with or having a function or functions; often with modifying word indicating the number or extent of functions available.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > [adjective] > usable > having a function
functioned1849
1849 Bentley's Misc. July 541 A dual-functioned piece of carpentry, which served as a settle in the day-time and as a bed at night.
1882 Athenæum 18 Nov. 657/2 Imagine a spiritual being so placed, so surrounded, and so functioned.
1992 Computerworld 20 July 79/1 You'll require less memory and disk space than with fully functioned word processors.
2002 R. Porter Blood & Guts vii. 136 Multi-functioned hospitals.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
functionv.
/ˈfʌŋ(k)ʃn/, U.S. /ˈfəŋ(k)ʃən/ 1.
a. intransitive. To fulfil one's function; to work, to operate.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > operate [verb (intransitive)] > function
functionate1843
function1844
fire1873
operatea1918
society > occupation and work > duties > [verb (intransitive)]
officiate1649
functionate1843
function1844
functionize1847
1844 Lancet 6 July 421/2 All organic substances are either combinations of a simple body with a compound..or combinations of two compound bodies, both functioning like simple bodies.
1889 Edinb. Rev. Oct. 533 No instrument of despotism..has ever functioned with so little noise.
1897 G. Allen Evol. Idea of God iii. 46 We..know..consciousness ceases altogether at death, when the brain no longer functions.
1918 Times 18 Apr. 8/3 The agencies of obstruction and party intrigue which will immediately begin to function in every section of the political arena.
1924 J. Galsworthy White Monkey i. viii There are rules of the game which must be observed, if society is to function at all.
1971 C. Bonington Annapurna South Face 286 All the cameras functioned well.
1974 S. Terkel Working vii. 374 I don't really begin to function until the afternoon.
2009 Atlantic Monthly Apr. 94/1 Sometimes..Marx did manage to illuminate the ways in which the industrial system really functioned.
b. intransitive. With as. To perform a particular function; to do the work of or serve as something specified.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > system > [verb (intransitive)] > function
officiate1655
function1856
1856 D. Masson Ess. Biogr. & Crit. ii. iv. 307 Debt, though negative property, still is a kind of property, and functions as such to the advantage of its possessor.
1887 Athenæum 29 Oct. 572/1 Groups..having the nephridia functioning as efferent ducts for the gonads.
1914 W. McDougall Introd. Social Psychol. (ed. 8) 404 The energy of the sex impulse..may function as a re-enforcer of purely intellectual activities.
1971 I. Metzker & D. L. Levy tr. Bintel Brief 25 Some functioned as rabbis, except without any formal training or ordination.
2000 Nature 18 May 291/2 The protein..could be made to function as an enzyme.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > social event > [verb (intransitive)] > hold a function
function1890
1890 Sat. Rev. 10 May 554/1 Two other Societies..‘functioned’ on the same day.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1533
v.1844