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Added 3 October 2026

funk

/fʌŋk/ noun

Latin root: fūmicāre Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about funk at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A state of nervous depression.
he was in a funk
United States biochemist (born in Poland) who showed that several diseases were caused by dietary deficiencies and who coined the term `vitamin' for the chemicals involved (1884-1967).
An earthy type of jazz combining it with blues and soul; has a heavy bass line that accentuates the first beat in the bar.

verb

Draw back, as with fear or pain.
she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf

Origin

1620, from French dialectal (Norman) funquer, funquier (“to smoke, reek”), from Old Northern French fungier (“to smoke”), from Vulgar Latin fūmicāre, alteration of Latin fūmigāre (“to smoke, fumigate”). Related to French dialect funkière (“smoke”). More at fumigate.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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