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functional

[fuhngk-shuh-nl]
adjective
  1. of or relating to a function or functions: functional difficulties in the administration.
  2. capable of operating or functioning: When will the ventilating system be functional again?
  3. having or serving a utilitarian purpose; capable of serving the purpose for which it was designed: functional architecture; a chair that is functional as well as decorative.
  4. Also func·tion·al·is·tic. (of a building or furnishing) constructed or made according to the principles of functionalism or primarily as a direct fulfillment of a material need.
  5. Medicine/Medical. without a known organic cause or structural change: a functional disorder.Compare organic(def 5).
  6. pertaining to an algebraic operation: a functional symbol.
  7. Linguistics. (of linguistic analysis, language teaching, etc.) concerned with the communicative role of language rather than, in addition to, or as the framework for its formal structure.
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noun
  1. Mathematics. a function that has a domain whose elements are functions, sets, or the like, and that assumes numerical values.
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Origin of functional

First recorded in 1625–35; function + -al1
Related formsfunc·tion·al·i·ty, nounfunc·tion·al·ly, adverbhy·per·func·tion·al, adjectivehy·per·func·tion·al·ly, adverbmul·ti·func·tion·al, adjectivenon·func·tion·al, adjectivenon·func·tion·al·ly, adverbpre·func·tion·al, adjectivesem·i·func·tion·al, adjectivesem·i·func·tion·al·ly, adverbsub·func·tion·al, adjectivesub·func·tion·al·ly, adverbsu·per·func·tion·al, adjectiveun·func·tion·al, adjectiveun·func·tion·al·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for multifunctional

multifunctional

multifunction (ˈmʌltɪˌfʌŋkʃən)

adjective
  1. having or able to perform many functions
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functional

adjective
  1. of, involving, or containing a function or functions
  2. practical rather than decorative; utilitarianfunctional architecture
  3. capable of functioning; working
  4. med affecting a function of an organ without structural change
  5. psychol
    1. relating to the purpose or context of a behaviour
    2. denoting a psychosis such as schizophrenia assumed not to have a direct organic cause, like deterioration or poisoning of the brainCompare organic psychosis
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noun
  1. maths a function whose domain is a set of functions and whose range is a set of functions or a set of numbers
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Derived Formsfunctionally, adverb
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

Word Origin and History for multifunctional

functional

adj.

1630s; as a term in architecture, "utilitarian," 1928; see function (n.) + -al (1). Related: Functionally; functionality.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
multifunctional in Medicine

functional

(fŭngk′shə-nəl)
adj.
  1. Of or relating to a function.
  2. Affecting the physiological function but not the structure.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
multifunctional in Science

functional

[fŭngk′shə-nəl]
  1. Affecting bodily functions but not organic structure, as a disorder such as irritable bowel syndrome. Compare organic.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.