funzione Italian · revision 39174

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=borrowing|attested=before 1584, Anton Francesco Grazzini|origins=la fungor}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /funˈt͡sjo.ne/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''funzione''' ''f'' (plural funzioni)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a learned word, [[bor|la|functiō|t=performance, discharge; office]], from [[m|la|functus]], the past participle of [[m|la|fungor|t=to perform, discharge]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) DELI thinks it probably came through [[fr|fonction]], recorded in 1539, and all its derivatives are French: [[funzionale]] from [[m|fr|fonctionnel]], [[funzionare]] from [[m|fr|fonctionner]] (1637), [[funzionamento]] from [[m|fr|fonctionnement]] and [[funzionario]] from [[m|fr|fonctionnaire]] (1770); the purists of the 19th century condemned them as Gallicisms.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010) The same word is [[es|función]].^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ The Latin noun could also mean the payment of a tax, a sense that survives in Old Spanish and Portuguese words for a tribute.^(REW 1935) The Latin verb goes back to Proto-Italic ⟨*fung-e/o-⟩ and a Proto-Indo-European nasal present [[m|ine-pro|*bʰu-n-g-|t=to be of use]], continued in [[sa|भुञ्जते|tr=bhuñjaté|t=enjoys, consumes]].^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record is in Anton Francesco Grazzini, who died in 1584, with the sense “the activity that goes with an office or post”.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003) Nocentini dates the word to the second half of the 16th century.^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The religious sense “rite, church service” appears in Paolo Sarpi in 1605–07, and Galileo, who died in 1642, speaks of the ''funzioni dei giorni santi'' as well as of the functions of the organs of animals and plants.^(DELI 1999) The mathematical sense, an expression showing how one quantity varies with another, is in Iacopo Riccati before 1754, and the sense “role, task” in Muratori in 1745.^(DELI 1999) Chemistry, linguistics and computing later gave the word technical senses of their own.^(Wiktionary)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ The French derivatives entered Italian around 1800: ''funzionario'' in 1793, ''funzionare'' in 1796, ''funzionale'' in 1846 and ''funzionamento'' in 1900.^(DELI 1999) In architecture ''funzionale'' and ''funzionalismo'' (1933) came to name buildings whose form follows their purpose.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1539 – French ''fonction'' is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1584 – Anton Francesco Grazzini uses ''funzione'' for the duties of an office.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1605–1607 – Paolo Sarpi uses ''funzioni'' for church services.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1642 – Galileo uses the word for the activity of an organ.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1745 – Muratori uses ''funzione'' for “role, task”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1754 – Iacopo Riccati uses the mathematical sense.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1793 – ''Funzionario'' “official” is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1796 – ''Funzionare'' “to work, operate” appears in the acts of the Cispadane Congress at Reggio.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The duties belonging to a post or office; the post itself: ''esercitare le funzioni di sindaco''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # The set of activities of a public body or institution: ''la funzione legislativa''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # The task or job of a device, machine or structure: ''Questo pulsante ha la funzione di bloccare la porta.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(biology)'' The activity of a cell, an organ or a system of organs: ''la funzione dei reni''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A role, [[m|en|purpose]]: ''la funzione sociale della scuola''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(mathematics)'' A [[m|en|function]]: a relation that assigns to each value of one variable a value of another.^(GRADIT 2003)^(DELI 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(computing, chemistry)'' A function in the technical senses of these fields.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(religion)'' A church service, a rite.^(DELI 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' A chore, an errand.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[funzionale]]

+ * [[funzionalità]]

+ * [[funzionalismo]]

+ * [[funzionare]]

+ * [[funzionamento]]

+ * [[funzionario]]

+ * [[disfunzione]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[fungere]]

+ * [[la|functiō]]

+ * [[fr|fonction]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''In funzione'' means “working, in operation”, ''in funzione di'' means “with a view to” or “depending on”, and ''essere funzione di'' is to depend on something.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(GRADIT 2003) ''Fare le funzioni di qualcuno'' is to stand in for him or her, and a ''facente funzione'' is an acting official.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}