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functionary

American  
[fuhngk-shuh-ner-ee] / ˈfʌŋk ʃəˌnɛr i /

noun

plural

functionaries

  1. a person who functions in a specified capacity, especially in government service; an official.

    civil servants, bureaucrats, and other functionaries.
functionary British  
/ ˈfʌŋkʃənərɪ /

noun

  1. a person acting in an official capacity, as for a government; an official

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. a less common word for functional official

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of functionary

1785–95; function + -ary, modeled on French fonctionnaire

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.