bifunctional

B3I1F4U1N1C3T1I1O1N1A1L1

adjective

Having two functions.

OriginEnglish functional ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? ← Middle French function →
UncommonScrabble 19
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

adjectivebifunctional (not comparable)
  1. not comparableHaving two functions.
  2. not comparablechemistryHaving two functional groups or binding sites.
  3. not comparablechemistryInvolving two functional groups or binding sites.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*dwóh₁
  2. Proto-Indo-European*dwi-
  3. Proto-Italic*dwi-
  4. Latinbi-
  5. Englishbi-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*bʰewg-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*bʰunégti
  8. Proto-Italic*fungōr
  9. Latinfungor
  10. Latinfūnctiō
  11. Old Frenchfonction
  12. Middle Frenchfunction
  13. Englishfunction
  14. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  15. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  16. Englishfunctional
  17. Englishbifunctional

From bi- + functional.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

bifunctional. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bifunctional

MLA

“bifunctional.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bifunctional. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bifunctional,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bifunctional.

Source: bifunctional on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.