FUNCTION

function, office, part, role

(noun) the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group; “the function of a teacher”; “the government must do its part”; “play its role”

function, purpose, role, use

(noun) what something is used for; “the function of an auger is to bore holes”; “ballet is beautiful but what use is it?”

routine, subroutine, subprogram, procedure, function

(noun) a set sequence of steps, part of larger computer program

affair, occasion, social occasion, function, social function

(noun) a vaguely specified social event; “the party was quite an affair”; “an occasion arranged to honor the president”; “a seemingly endless round of social functions”

function

(noun) a formal or official social gathering or ceremony; “it was a black-tie function”

function

(noun) a relation such that one thing is dependent on another; “height is a function of age”; “price is a function of supply and demand”

function, mathematical function, single-valued function, map, mapping

(noun) (mathematics) a mathematical relation such that each element of a given set (the domain of the function) is associated with an element of another set (the range of the function)

officiate, function

(verb) perform duties attached to a particular office or place or function; “His wife officiated as his private secretary”

function, work, operate, go, run

(verb) perform as expected when applied; “The washing machine won’t go unless it’s plugged in”; “Does this old car still run well?”; “This old radio doesn’t work anymore”

serve, function

(verb) serve a purpose, role, or function; “The tree stump serves as a table”; “The female students served as a control group”; “This table would serve very well”; “His freedom served him well”; “The table functions as a desk”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

function (plural functions)

What something does or is used for.

Synonyms: aim, intention, purpose, role, use

A professional or official position.

Synonyms: occupation, office, part, role

An official or social occasion.

Synonyms: affair, occasion, social occasion, social function

Something which is dependent on or stems from another thing; a result or concomitant.

A relation where one thing is dependent on another for its existence, value, or significance.

(mathematics) A relation in which each element of the domain is associated with exactly one element of the codomain.

Synonyms: map, mapping, mathematical function, operator, transformation

Hypernym: relation

(computing) A routine that receives zero or more arguments and may return a result.

Synonyms: procedure, routine, subprogram, subroutine, func, funct

(biology) The physiological activity of an organ or body part.

(chemistry) The characteristic behavior of a chemical compound.

(anthropology) The role of a social practice in the continued existence of the group.

Hyponyms

• subfunction

(astronomy: Hyponyms of function):

• luminosity function

• mass function

• phase function

• source function

• (chemistry): acidity function

(computing: Hyponyms of function):

• anonymous function

• Boolean function

• built-in function

• computable function

• concave function

• constructor function

• convex function

• error function

• first-class function

• second-class function

• predefined function

• recursive function

• restricted function

• set function

• switch function

• third-class function

• transition function

• user-defined function

(logic: Hyponyms of function):

• AND function

• Boolean function

• NOR function

• NOT function

• OR function

• propositional function

• switching function

• truth function

(management: Hyponyms of function):

• line function

• staff function

(mathematics: Hyponyms of function):

• additive function

• aggregate function

• algebraic function

• alternating function

• analytic function

• anonymous function

• Baire function

• bei function

• ber function

• Bessel function

• beta function

• Bloch function

• bounded function

• boxcar function

• Brillouin function

• Cantor function

• characteristic function

• Chebyshev function

• circular function

• comparable function

• complementary function

• composite function

• connect function

• constant function

• constraint function

• contiguous function

• continuous function

• correlation function

• cost function

• critical function

• cylinder function

• decreasing function

• delta function

• density function

• describing function

• differentiable function

• discriminant function

• dissipation function

• distance function

• distribution function

• driving-point function

• eigenfunction

• elementary function

• Emden function

• entire function

• Euler's phi function

• even function

• explicit function

• exponential function

• first-class function

• form function

• Fowler function

• frontogenetic function

• gamma function

• generating function

• Green's function

• Hamiltonian function

• Hankel function

• harmonic function

• hei function

• her function

• Hildebrand function

• homogeneous function

• Hugoniot function

• hyperbolic function

• hypergeometric function

• identity function

• implicit function

• impulse function

• incidence function

• increasing function

• independent function

• influence function

• inner function

• integrable function

• integral function

• invariant function

• inverse function

• inverting function

• J function

• jump function

• kei function

• ker function

• Koebe function

• Lagrangian function

• LamĂ© function

• Legendre function

• Leverett function

• linear function

• Liouville function

• loss function

• Lyapunov function

• mass function

• Massieu function

• Mathieu function

• measurable function

• membership function

• meromorphic function

• microspec function

• Möbius function

• monotone function

• multilinear function

• natural function

• Neumann function

• normalized function

• normalized support function

• number-theoretic function

• objective function

• odd function

• orthogonal function

• orthonormal function

• one-way function

• partial function

• partition function

• Patterson function

• penalty function

• periodic function

• Planck function

• point function

• polynomial function

• power function

• principal function

• psi function

• quadratic function

• Rademacher function

• random function

• rational function

• real function

• recursive function

• regular function

• Riemann function

• Riemann P function

• sample function

• scalar function

• self-organizing function

• sensitivity function

• shear-viscosity function

• sigma function

• signum function

• simple function

• single-valued function

• sinusoidal function

• Smarandache function

• special function

• step function

• stream function

• stress function

• summable function

• support function

• symmetric function

• test function

• theta function

• torsion function

• transcendental function

• transfer function

• transmission function

• trigonometric function

• trigonometric cofunction

• truth function

• unit function

• universal wavelength function

• variadic function

• vector function

• Wannier function

• Weierstrass function

• weight function

• zeta function

(physics: Hyponyms of function):

• Airy function

• excitation function

• information function of a partition

• Langevin function

• luminosity function

• nuclear response function

• partition function

• psi function

• scattering function

• spectral function

• wave function

• work function

• (psychology): executive ego function

• (signal processing): spectral density function/spectral function

• (systems theory): control function

Verb

function (third-person singular simple present functions, present participle functioning, simple past and past participle functioned)

(intransitive) To have a function.

Synonyms: officiate, serve

(intransitive) To carry out a function; to be in action.

Synonyms: go, operate, run, work

Antonym: malfunction

Source: Wiktionary


Func"tion, n. Etym: [L. functio, fr. fungi to perform, execute, akin to Skr. bhuj to enjoy, have the use of: cf. F. fonction. Cf. Defunct.]

1. The act of executing or performing any duty, office, or calling; per formance. "In the function of his public calling." Swift.

2. (Physiol.)

Definition: The appropriate action of any special organ or part of an animal or vegetable organism; as, the function of the heart or the limbs; the function of leaves, sap, roots, etc.; life is the sum of the functions of the various organs and parts of the body.

3. The natural or assigned action of any power or faculty, as of the soul, or of the intellect; the exertion of an energy of some determinate kind. As the mind opens, and its functions spread. Pope.

4. The course of action which peculiarly pertains to any public officer in church or state; the activity appropriate to any business or profession. Tradesmen . . . going about their functions. Shak. The malady which made him incapable of performing his regal functions. Macaulay.

5. (Math.)

Definition: A quantity so connected with another quantity, that if any alteration be made in the latter there will be a consequent alteration in the former. Each quantity is said to be a function of the other. Thus, the circumference of a circle is a function of the diameter. If x be a symbol to which different numerical values can be assigned, such expressions as x2, 3x, Log. x, and Sin. x, are all functions of x. Algebraic function, a quantity whose connection with the variable is expressed by an equation that involves only the algebraic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, raising to a given power, and extracting a given root; -- opposed to transcendental function.

– Arbitrary function. See under Arbitrary.

– Calculus of functions. See under Calculus.

– Carnot's function (Thermo-dynamics), a relation between the amount of heat given off by a source of heat, and the work which can be done by it. It is approximately equal to the mechanical equivalent of the thermal unit divided by the number expressing the temperature in degrees of the air thermometer, reckoned from its zero of expansion.

– Circular functions. See Inverse trigonometrical functions (below).

– Continuous function, a quantity that has no interruption in the continuity of its real values, as the variable changes between any specified limits.

– Discontinuous function. See under Discontinuous.

– Elliptic functions, a large and important class of functions, so called because one of the forms expresses the relation of the arc of an ellipse to the straight lines connected therewith.

– Explicit function, a quantity directly expressed in terms of the independently varying quantity; thus, in the equations y = 6x2, y = 10 -x3, the quantity y is an explicit function of x.

– Implicit function, a quantity whose relation to the variable is expressed indirectly by an equation; thus, y in the equation x2 + y2 = 100 is an implicit function of x.

– Inverse trigonometrical functions, or Circular function, the lengths of arcs relative to the sines, tangents, etc. Thus, AB is the arc whose sine is BD, and (if the length of BD is x) is written sin - 1x, and so of the other lines. See Trigonometrical function (below). Other transcendental functions are the exponential functions, the elliptic functions, the gamma functions, the theta functions, etc.

– One-valued function, a quantity that has one, and only one, value for each value of the variable.

– Transcendental functions, a quantity whose connection with the variable cannot be expressed by algebraic operations; thus, y in the equation y = 10x is a transcendental function of x. See Algebraic function (above).

– Trigonometrical function, a quantity whose relation to the variable is the same as that of a certain straight line drawn in a circle whose radius is unity, to the length of a corresponding are of the circle. Let AB be an arc in a circle, whose radius OA is unity let AC be a quadrant, and let OC, DB, and AF be drawnpependicular to OA, and EB and CG parallel to OA, and let OB be produced to G and F. E Then BD is the sine of the arc AB; OD or EB is the cosine, AF is the tangent, CG is the cotangent, OF is the secant OG is the cosecant, AD is the versed sine, and CE is the coversed sine of the are AB. If the length of AB be represented by x (OA being unity) then the lengths of Functions. these lines (OA being unity) are the trigonometrical functions of x, and are written sin x, cos x, tan x (or tang x), cot x, sec x, cosec x, versin x, coversin x. These quantities are also considered as functions of the angle BOA.

Func"tion, Func"tion*ate, v. i.

Definition: To execute or perform a function; to transact one's regular or appointed business.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

27 November 2024

NAUSEATING

(adjective) causing or able to cause nausea; “a nauseating smell”; “nauseous offal”; “a sickening stench”


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