funk

Meanings

Noun

• Foul or unpleasant smell, especially body odor.
• A style of music derived from 1960s soul music, with elements of rock and other styles, characterized by a prominent bass guitar, dance-friendly sound, a strong emphasis on the downbeat, and much syncopation.
• Touchwood, punk, tinder.
• Mental depression.
• A state of fear or panic, especially cowardly.
• One who fears or panics; a coward.

Verb

• To emit an offensive smell; to stink.
• To envelop with an offensive smell or smoke.
• To shrink from, or avoid something because of fear.
• To frighten; to cause to flinch.

Origin

• 1620, from French dialectal (Norman) funquer, funquier, from Old Northern French fungier, from Vulgar Latin fūmicāre, alteration of Latin fumigo ("to smoke, fumigate"). Related to French dialect funkière. More at fumigate.
• From Middle English funke, fonke, from Old English *funca, *fanca, from Proto-Germanic *funkô, *fankô, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peng-, *(s)pheng-. Cognate with Middle Low German funke, fanke, Middle Dutch vonke ("spark"), Old High German funcho, funko, German Funke ("spark"). More at spunk.
• 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.