funk
/fʌŋk/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.71 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
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.
Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "The foulest stench is in the air; the funk of 40,000 years and grisly ghouls from every tomb are closing in to seal your doom."
- "He funks Basketia and her son to death"
- "Funking a cobbler – that is, blowing smoke into his stall; smoking cigars at divans and club houses; […]"
- "From the earliest part of this decade when he funked in relative obscurity to his days as a superstar with the release of his Batman soundtrack last summer, I could almost always count on Prince."
- "Funk this!"
- "Snow bunny, I pledge to funk you baby / You sexy lady, my only temptation […] Oh, I just want to funk you"
Etymology
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.
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /fʌŋk/
- British English: /fʌŋk/
Usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Music.