# function

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈfʌŋ(k)ʃən/ · frequency rank #1,720

## Definitions
1. What something does or is used for.
2. A professional or official position.
3. An official or social occasion.
4. An official or social occasion.
5. Something which is dependent on or stems from another thing; a result or concomitant.
6. A relation where one thing is dependent on another for its existence, value, or significance.
7. A relation in which each element of the domain is associated with exactly one element of the codomain.
8. A routine that receives zero or more arguments and may return a result.
9. The physiological activity of an organ or body part.
10. The characteristic behavior of a chemical compound.
11. The role of a social practice in the continued existence of the group.

## Etymology
From Middle French function, from Old French fonction, from Latin functiō (“performance, execution”), from functus, perfect participle of fungor (“to perform, execute, discharge”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰewg- (“to enjoy”).

## Easily confused with
- **functions** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/function-vs-functions)
- **functional** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/function-vs-functional)
- **fiction** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fiction-vs-function)
- **faction** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/faction-vs-function)
- **fraction** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fraction-vs-function)
- **friction** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/friction-vs-function)

## Common misspellings (13)
`ffunction`, `fnuction`, `fucntion`, `funcction`, `funciton`, `funcsion`, `functino`, `functionn`, `functoin`, `functtion`, `funnction`, `funtcion`, `ufnction`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/function