Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Functional |
FunctionalAdjective1. Designed for or capable of a particular function or use; "a style of writing in which every word is functional"; "functional architecture". 2. (pathology) involving or affecting function rather than physiology; "functional deafness". 3. Relating to or based on function especially as opposed to structure; "the problem now is not a constitutional one; it is a functional one"; "delegates elected on a functional rather than a geographical basis". 4. Fit or ready for use or service; "the toaster was still functional even after being dropped"; "the lawnmower is a bit rusty but still usable"; "an operational aircraft"; "the dishwasher is now in working order". 5. Designed for or adapted to a function or use; "functional education selects knowledge that is concrete and usable rather than abstract and theoretical"; "functional architecture". 6. (of e.g. a machine) performing or capable of performing; "in running (or working) order"; "a functional set of brakes". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "functional" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1871. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Computing | Functional 1. Working correctly. 2. Pertaining to functional programming. 3. higher-order function. Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
The initial meaning is a function that takes functions as its argument; that is, a function whose domain is a set of functions. This was how the word was used initially, in the calculus of variations, where the integrand to be minimised should be a functional, applied to an as-yet unknown function satisfying only some boundary conditions, and differentiability conditions.
This usage still applies in that context, in many part of physics, and in computer science, where in lambda calculus and functional programming a higher-order function is one that accepts a function and returns some value.
It also applies when one talks about a functional equation, meaning an equation between functionals: an equation F = G between functionals can be read as an 'equation to solve', with solutions being themselves functions. In such equations there may be several sets of variable unknowns, as when it is said that an additive function f is one satisfying the functional equation f(x+y) = f(x) + f(y).
The secondary usage in the compound linear functional arises from functional analysis. While in the foundational period of functional analysis from 1900-1920, it was largely the study of vector spaces such as the Lp spaces that are function spaces, the later axiomatic approach made no such assumption. The name linear functional, however, was carried over and applied to the dual space construction, in the general case.
See also: Distribution, Functional derivative, Functional integration
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Functional."
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
| FUG | Swedish | Functional unification grammar | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
Synonyms: FunctionalSynonyms: in working order(p) (adj), operable (adj), operational (adj), operative (adj), running(a) (adj), usable (adj), useable (adj), working(a) (adj). (additional references) |
| Antonyms: nonfunctional (adj), organic (adj). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Business | Adjective: businesslike; workaday; professional; official, functional; busy; (actively employed); on hand, in hand, in one's hands; afoot; on foot, on the anvil; going on; acting. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | If I didn't he would have blown your head off and you're still functional aren't you? (Beast Wars: Transformers; writing credit: Bob Forward; Lawrence G. DiTillio) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
References | |||
Books |
| ||
Periodicals |
| ||
Theater & Movies | |||
High Tech |
| ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | The floating cross at the mouth of the trap. Excluding the statuette of St. Peter, the patron saint of fishermen, which is traditionally always the same, each Rais places his own images of saints. The cross serves the functional purpose of helping the fishermen read the currents. Slack water is the most desirable time to start the fishing operation. Credit: Fisheries. |  | Measured drawing delineated by J. C. Halden. (Reproduction Number: HABS, MASS,5-ANNI,3- Sheet 4 of 6) While most of the documentation in the HABS and HAER collections records individual sites, there are fascinating examples of buildings recorded within their environmental context. These cultural landscapes show the visual and functional relationship among buildings. In this instance, the location and arrangement of the eighteenth and nineteenth century buildings was closely tied to the transportation and commercial opportunities the New England fishing village waterfront presented. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | [Decorative and functional architectural features of a chemical laboratory in Berlin]. Credit: National Library of Medicine. |  | ... functional façades bristle with bamboo rods hung with brightly coloured clean linen. / WHO p. Credit: National Library of Medicine; photo by T. Takahara.. |
 | [Har Gobind Khorana's lecture on total synthesis of a biologically functional gene]. Credit: National Library of Medicine. | ||
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Time Enough for Love | Robert Heinlein | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Hall KM. Functional assessment in traumatic brain injury. (references) | |
The temporal course may exhibit regional and functional differences. (references) | ||
Limited data exist on associated morbidity and functional impairment. (references) | ||
Business | Towels are no longer expected to only have functional qualities. (references) | |
In terms of design, foreseeable developments include furniture with functional autonomy that may be assembled into larger work units. (references) | ||
They have historically regarded the United States as the world's leader in technology, and look to foreign firms for innovative and functional products. (references) | ||
Economic History | Tanzania | The three functional units will be separately divested. (references) |
Cote D'ivoire | Cote d'Ivoire's financial system, while limited in scope, is sound and functional. (references) | |
Liberia | The judicial system is functional but extensively manipulated by the executive branch. (references) | |
Human Rights | Costa Rica | The law provides for the functional, administrative, and judicial independence of the Ombudsman's office. (references) |
Paraguay | Minor courts and justices of the peace fall within four functional areas: Civil and commercial, criminal, labor, and juvenile. (references) | |
Croatia | Local housing commissions, to which the vast majority of cases were referred, often were purposefully dysfunctional and failed to resolve housing disputes, or when functional were powerless legally to implement their own decisions under an existing legal framework that remained unaddressed by the Government. (references) | |
Minorities | Lithuania | Many nonethnic Lithuanian public sector employees by law are required to attain a functional knowledge of the Lithuanian language within several years, although the authorities have been granting liberal extensions to this requirement. (references) |
Political Economy | ARGENTINA | While this inquiry point exists formally, it is not fully functional. (references) |
Kuwait | Kuwaiti law, however, prevents the establishment of more than one union per functional area or more than one general confederation. (references) | |
Political Rights | Indonesia | The 695-member MPR consists of the 500 Members of the DPR, 130 regional representatives, who are elected by provincial legislatures, and 65 appointed representatives from functional and societal groups. (references) |
Hong Kong | In the first election, 20 members were elected directly from geographic districts through universal suffrage, 30 from functional (occupational) constituencies, and 10 by a 400-member selection committee of local residents. (references) | |
Hong Kong | In the second, 24 members were elected directly from geographic districts through universal suffrage, 30 from functional constituencies, and 6 by votes of the 800-person selection committee which is composed of representatives of professions, district councils and religious groups, local representatives to Chinese national political bodies and Legislative Councilors. (references) | |
Trade | Bulgaria | The Agency issues approvals attesting to electrical safety and functional characteristics. (references) |
Denmark | Food additives must be declared in the ingredients list by functional class followed by specific name or E-no., as defined in the food additives regulation and positive additive list. (references) | |
Nigeria | Export Credit Guarantee Facility is not yet operational but when functional will be operated as a guarantee given by NEXIM to banks in respect of credit given by them (the banks) to exporters. (references) | |
Travel | Argentina | Because evenings starts late and end late, the early evening nap is the secret to being functional the next day. (references) |
Cote D'ivoire | Other infrastructure includes modern supermarkets and hotels, a number of recognized international banks and a small but functional regional stock exchange. (references) | |
Azerbaijan | The Azerbaijani postal system is functional but not secure and it is not recommended to use this system for outgoing or incoming international correspondence. (references) | |
Worker Rights | Mauritania | The Government has a functional labor inspectorate empowered to refer violations directly to the appropriate judicial authorities. (references) |
Indonesia | The head of the SPSI and many members of the executive council also are members of the Golkar political organization and its constituent functional groups. (references) | |
Chile | On September 28, President Lagos signed into law a major reform of the Labor Code, which went into effect on December 5. Among various other provisions aimed at facilitating the formation of unions and promoting collective bargaining, the reform freed unions from government regulation of their internal organization and permitted unions to be structured along geographic as well as functional lines. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | HEART, n. An automatic, muscular blood-pump. Figuratively, this useful organ is said to be the esat of emotions and sentiments -- a very pretty fancy which, however, is nothing but a survival of a once universal belief. It is now known that the sentiments and emotions reside in the stomach, being evolved from food by chemical action of the gastric fluid. The exact process by which a beefsteak becomes a feeling -- tender or not, according to the age of the animal from which it was cut; the successive stages of elaboration through which a caviar sandwich is transmuted to a quaint fancy and reappears as a pungent epigram; the marvelous functional methods of converting a hard-boiled egg into religious contrition, or a cream-puff into a sigh of sensibility -- these things have been patiently ascertained by M. Pasteur, and by him expounded with convincing lucidity. (See, also, my monograph, The Essential Identity of the Spiritual Affections and Certain Intestinal Gases Freed in Digestion -- 4to, 687 pp.) In a scientific work entitled, I believe, Delectatio Demonorum (John Camden Hotton, London, 1873) this view of the sentiments receives a striking illustration; and for further light consult Professor Dam's famous treatise on Love as a Product of Alimentary Maceration. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Functional" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 99.19% of the time. "Functional" is used about 1,974 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 99.19% | 1,958 | 4,391 |
| Noun (proper) | 0.81% | 16 | 87,710 |
| Total | 100.00% | 1,974 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "functional": algebraic Logic Functional language ♦ communicating Functional Processes ♦ constraint functional programming ♦ Formal description of arbitrary systems by means of functional languages ♦ functional absorber ♦ functional architecture ♦ functional calculus ♦ functional cast ♦ functional command ♦ functional database ♦ functional dependency ♦ Functional disease ♦ functional disorder ♦ Functional Disorders ♦ Functional foods ♦ functional hearing loss ♦ functional integration ♦ functional language ♦ functional load ♦ functional magnetic resonance imaging ♦ functional mode ♦ functional pins ♦ functional profile ♦ functional program ♦ functional programming ♦ functional programming language ♦ functional psychogenic hearing loss ♦ functional requirements ♦ Functional Residual Capacity ♦ functional specification ♦ functional standard ♦ functional style ♦ functional symbols ♦ functional test ♦ functional testing ♦ functional unification grammar ♦ functional unit ♦ functional yield ♦ Investigation of performance achievable with highly concurrent interpretations of functional programs ♦ network functional architecture ♦ persistent Functional Language ♦ pure functional language ♦ purely functional language ♦ recursive Functional Algorithmic Language. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "functional": functional-level, functional-tonal. | |
Ending with "functional": cross-functional, democratic-functional, multi-functional, structural-functional, truth-functional. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "functional"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albanian | funksional (purposive), veprues (acting, active, going, operative), punues, me funksion. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arabic | فعال (active, businesslike, dynamic, effective, effectual, efficacious, efficient, energetic, forceful, forcible, living, operative, potent, reliable, trenchant, valid, virtuous), وظيفي, عملي (active, businesslike, doable, earthy, feasible, handy, matter of fact, monetary, positive, practical, virtual, workable). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgarian | служебен (ministerial, official, officiary, service, shoppy), функционален (dynamic). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chinese | 功能 (functionality), 實" (practical, pragmatic). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech | funkèní (operational), fungující, úèelný (advisable, expedient, pragmatic, sensible, useful). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Danish | funktionel. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dutch | functioneel. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | toiminnallinen. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French | fonctionnel. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | funktionell (functionally, practical). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | λειτουργικός (operational). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hebrew | תפקי"י, תפקו"י, שמושי (handy, practical, serviceable, useful), פו קציו לי. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | funkcionális. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indonesian | fungsionil. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | funzionale (practical, useful). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Kanji | 機能的 (efficient), 汎関数 . (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Katakana | きのうてき (efficient, inductive, recursive), は"か"すう. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Korean | 기능 (Facultative, function, functionality). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manx | obbragh (a production, functioning, influence, movement, operative), foaynooagh (functioning, qualitative, quality). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Norwegian | funksjons-, funksjonell. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | unctionalfay funcional (dynamic), não orgânico. (various references) funcţional (functionally, functionary). (various references) функциональный (dynamic). (various references) funkcionalan. (various references) funcional. (various references) funktions- (functionary), funktionell (functionary, utilitarian, utility), officiell (authoritative, functionary, official, officinal), ämbets- (functionary, official, term of office). (various references) เกี่ยวกับการทำงาน, ซึ่งสามารถนำไปใช้เป็นประโยชน์, ซึ่งสามารถปฏิบัติการไ"้. (various references) fonksiyonel (all-duty), kullanışlı (all purpose, available, convenient, flowing, general purpose, handy, manageable, operable, practicable, practical, purposive, serviceable, useful), işlevsel (physiological). (various references) функціональний (dynamic, functionary), офіційний (ceremonial, formal, functionary, official, solemn). (various references) người chưa đạt tiêu chuẩn về đọc v viết (functional illiterate). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "functional": functionalism, functionalisms, functionalist, functionalistic, functionalists, functionalities, functionality, functionally. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "functional": bifunctional, difunctional, disfunctional, dysfunctional, hyperfunctional, multifunctional, nonfunctional, semifunctional. (additional references) | |
| |
"Functional" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: fuctional, functiona, functionals, functionnal, functionsl. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "functional" (pronounced fu"ngkshunul) |
| 9 | f u" ng k sh u n u l | dysfunctional. |
| 6 | -k sh u n u l | correctional, directional, factional, fictional, fluxional, fractional, instructional, jurisdictional, sectional. |
| 5 | -sh u n u l | aberrational, additional, binational, coeducational, compositional, computational, concessional, conditional, confessional, conformational, confrontational, congregational, congressional, connotational, constitutional, conventional, conversational, denominational, depositional, devotional, dimensional, educational, emotional, exceptional, foundational, generational, gravitational, improvisational, informational, inspirational, institutional, intentional, intergenerational, international, investigational, Invitational, irrational, motivational, multinational, national, navigational, nonprofessional, nontraditional, nutritional, obsessional, occupational, operational, optional, organizational, processional, professional, promotional, proportional, rational, recreational, relational, representational, rotational, sensational, situational, supranational, traditional, transformational, transitional, transnational, unconditional, unconstitutional, unconventional, unemotional, unintentional, unprofessional, untraditional, vocational. |
| 4 | -u n u l | abdominal, aboriginal, Arsenal, attitudinal, biphenyl, cantonal, Cardinal, collisional, criminal, delusional, diagonal, divisional, doctrinal, duodenal, erosional, gastrointestinal, hexagonal, impersonal, interpersonal, intestinal, juvenile, latitudinal, longitudinal, luminal, marginal, medicinal, nominal, noncriminal, occasional, octagonal, original, personal, phenomenal, polygonal, provisional, regional, retinal, seasonal, seminal, sentinel, subliminal, superregional, terminal, virginal. |
| 3 | -n u l | adrenal, anal, annal, annul, atonal, autumnal, carnal, channel, Colonel, communal, cornel, Darnel, departmental, diurnal, empanel, eternal, external, faunal, fennel, final, flannel, fraternal, funnel, hormonal, Hymnal, impanel, infernal, internal, journal, kennel, kernel, maternal, monoclonal, monsoonal, morainal, nocturnal, panel, paternal, penal, polyvinyl, renal, semifinal, shrapnel, signal, spinal, tonal, tribunal, tunnel, vaginal, venal, vernal, Vinal, vinyl. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-c-f-i-l-n-n-o-t-u" | |
-1 letter: continual, inoculant. | |
-2 letters: continua, countian, fountain, function, lunation. | |
-3 letters: actinon, antiflu, antlion, auction, cannoli, caution, contain, faction, folacin, fontina, inocula, linocut, lunatic, nonfact, outlain, uncinal, unction. | |
-4 letters: action, alnico, annuli, anoint, atonic, canful, cannot, canton, cation, catlin, citola, coital, confit, falcon, fanion, flacon, flaunt, fontal, incant, incult, infant, latino, nation, nonfat, nounal, nuncio, oilcan. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-c-f-i-l-n-n-o-t-u" | |
+1 letter: malfunction. | |
+2 letters: bifunctional, difunctional, functionally, malfunctions. | |
+3 letters: confabulating, confabulation, disfunctional, dysfunctional, functionalism, functionalist, functionality, malfunctioned, nonfunctional, nullification. | |
+4 letters: confabulations, functionalisms, functionalists, malfunctioning, nullifications, semifunctional. | |
+5 letters: configurational, functionalistic, functionalities, hyperfunctional, multifunctional. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)46 75 6E 63 74 69 6F 6E 61 6C |
| Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)
|
| American Sign Language (origins from 1620-1817 in Italy and, especially, France) (references)
|
| Semaphore (1791, in France) (references)
|
| Braille (1829, in France) (references)
|
Morse Code (1836) (references)..-. ..- -. -.-. - .. --- -. .- .-.. |
| Dancing Men (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1903) (references)
|
Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)01000110 01110101 01101110 01100011 01110100 01101001 01101111 01101110 01100001 01101100 |
HTML Code (1990) (references)F u n c t i o n a l |
ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)0046 0075 006E 0063 0074 0069 006F 006E 0061 006C |
| British Sign Language (Fingerspelling, BSL; 1992, British Deaf Association Dictionary of British Sign Language) (references)
|
Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)40878069867581806778 |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Photo Album 7. Quotations: Fiction 8. Quotations: Non-fiction | 9. Usage Frequency 10. Expressions 11. Expressions: Internet 12. Translations: Modern | 13. Abbreviations 14. Acronyms 15. Derivations 16. Rhymes | 17. Anagrams 18. Orthography 19. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
