Funk Definition

fŭngk
funks
noun
funks
A strong, usually unpleasant smell; reek.
American Heritage
A low, depressed mood.
Webster's New World
Funky jazz.
Webster's New World
A musty odor, as of moldy tobacco.
Webster's New World
The condition of being greatly afraid or in a panic.
Webster's New World
Antonyms:
verb
funks
To avoid as because of fear; shrink from.
Webster's New World
To be afraid.
Webster's New World
To shrink in fright.
American Heritage

(intransitive) To emit an offensive smell; to stink.

Wiktionary
To envelop with an offensive smell or smoke.
Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Funk

Noun

Singular:
funk
Plural:
funks

Origin of Funk

  • From Middle English funke, fonke (“spark”), from Old English *funca, *fanca (“spark”), from Proto-Germanic *funkô, *fankô (“spark”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peng-, *(s)pheng- (“to shine”). Cognate with Middle Low German funke, fanke (“spark”), Middle Dutch vonke (“spark”), Old High German funcho, funko (“spark”), German Funke (“spark”). More at spunk.

    From Wiktionary

  • 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

  • 1743, Scottish and Northern English dialectal word, originally a verb meaning "to panic, fail due to panic". Perhaps from or cognate with obsolete Dutch fonck (“distress, agitation”), from Middle Dutch fonck (“perturbation, agitation”). More at flunk.

    From Wiktionary

  • Probably ultimately from a northern French dialectal source such as Picard Walloon funquer to produce smoke from Vulgar Latin fūmicāre alteration of Latin fūmigāre fumigate

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Probably from obsolete Flemish fonck disturbance, agitation of unknown origin

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Back-formation from funky

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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