funk

funk · noun, verb¹

1. Latin · derived fromfūmigāre“to smoke, fumigate”
2. Vulgar Latin · derived fromfūmicāre
3. English todayfunk

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.

funk · noun²

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*(s)peng-“to shine”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*funkô“spark”
3. Old English · inherited from*funca“spark”
4. Middle English · inherited fromfunke
5. English todayfunk

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

funk · noun, verb³

1. Middle Dutch · derived fromfonck“perturbation, agitation”
2. Dutch · derived fromfonck“distress, agitation”
3. English todayfunk

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.

Words from the same roots