function

Etymology

From Latin functiō "performance, execution." From fungi "to perform."

Funct-

From Latin fungi. "To perform, execute."

-ion

Nominalizing suffix. "Action or result of."

Origin

Latin functiō. Mathematics, logic, linguistics.

Meaning

Role or mapping. In terminology: role within a domain.

Earliest use

Leibniz 1694 (mathematics); broader use 19th c.

Definition

Domain analysis. In the Terminology Matrix: identifying roles in number theory, physics, and geometry.