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funk

 - 12 dictionary results

funk

1  [fuhngk]
Use funk in a Sentence
–noun
1. cowering fear; state of great fright or terror.
2. a dejected mood: He's been in a funk ever since she walked out on him.
–verb (used with object)
3. to be afraid of.
4. to frighten.
5. to shrink from; try to shirk.
–verb (used without object)
6. to shrink or quail in fear.
Origin:
1735–45; perh. < early D dial. fonck

Related forms:
funker, noun

funk

2  [fuhngk]
–noun
1. music having a funky quality.
2. the state or quality of being funky.
3. a strong smell; stench.
Origin:
1615–25; perh. < North F dial. funquier, funquer give off smoke, ONF fungier < VL fūmicāre, alter. of L fūmigāre; see fumigate

Funk

  [foongk, fuhngk]
–noun
Cas⋅i⋅mir  [kaz-uh-meer] , 1884–1967, U.S. biochemist, born in Poland: discovered thiamine, the first vitamin isolated.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To funk
funk 1   (fŭngk)   
n.  

    1. A state of cowardly fright; a panic.

    2. A state of severe depression.

  2. A cowardly, fearful person.

v.   funked, funk·ing, funks

v.   tr.

  1. To shrink from in fright or dread.

  2. To be afraid of.

v.   intr.
To shrink in fright.

[Probably from obsolete Flemish fonck, disturbance, agitation.]
funk 2   (fŭngk)   
n.  

  1. Music

    1. An earthy quality appreciated in music such as jazz or soul.

    2. A type of popular music combining elements of jazz, blues, and soul and characterized by syncopated rhythm and a heavy, repetitive bass line.

  2. Slang An unsophisticated quality or atmosphere of a region or locality: "The setting is country funk" (Nina Martin).


[Back-formation from funky2.]
Funk   (fŭngk, fōōngk)   
Polish-born American biochemist whose research of deficiency diseases led to his discovery of vitamins, which he named in 1912.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
funk [fəŋk]

  1. n.
    a bad odor; a stench. : What is that ghastly funk in here?
  2. n.
    tobacco smoke. : Most of those important decisions are made by party hacks in funk-filled back rooms.
  3. n.
    a depressed state. : I've been in such a funk that I can't get my work done.
  4. n.
    cowardice; terror. : She suffers this terrible funk whenever she has to give a talk.
  5. n.
    a kind of blues rock; jazz based on gospel music. : Man, groove on that funk, would ya?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

funk  (1)
"depression, ill-humor," 1743, probably originally Scottish and northern English, earlier as a verb, "panic, fail through panic," (1737), said to be 17c. Oxford University slang, perhaps from Flem. fonck "perturbation, agitation, distress," possibly related to O.Fr. funicle "wild, mad."

funk  (2)
"bad smell," 1623, from dial. Fr. funkière "smoke," from O.Fr. fungier "give off smoke," from L. fumigare "to smoke." In reference to a style of music, it is first attested 1959, a back formation of funky. Funky was originally "old, musty" (1784), in reference to cheeses, then "repulsive," but began to develop an approving sense in jazz slang c.1900, probably on the notion of "earthy, strong, deeply felt." Funky also was used early 20c. by white writers in ref. to body odor allegedly peculiar to blacks. The word reached wider popularity c.1954 (e.g. definition in "Time" magazine, Nov. 8, 1954) and in the 1960s acquired a broad slang sense of "fine, stylish, excellent."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Funk (fŭngk, f&oomacr;ngk), Casimir. 1884-1967.

Polish-born American biochemist whose research of deficiency diseases led to the discovery of vitamins, which he named in 1912.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
Funk   (fŭngk, fngk)  Pronunciation Key 
Polish-born American biochemist who is credited with the discovery of vitamins. In 1912 he postulated the existence of four organic bases he called vitamines which were necessary for normal health and the prevention of deficiency diseases. He also contributed to the knowledge of the hormones of the pituitary gland and the sex glands.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia

funk

rhythm-drivenrhythm-driven musical genre popular in the 1970s and early 1980s that linked soul to later African-American musical styles. Like many words emanating from the African-American oral tradition, funk defies literal definition, for its usage varies with circumstance. As a slang term, funky is used to describe one's odour, unpredictable style, or attitude. Musically, funk refers to a style of aggressive urban dance music driven by hard syncopated bass lines and drumbeats and accented by any number of instruments involved in rhythmic counterplay, all working toward a "groove."

Learn more about funk with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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