English → Latin
“function” in Latin
āctiōaction; a doing or performing, behavior; public function, civil act; suit, process, actionnegōtiumbusiness, employment, occupation, affair; difficulty, pains, trouble, labor; matter, thing (= πρᾶγμα (prâgma))officiumduty, service, office; obligation, an obligatory service, visit, or gesture; kindness, favor, courtesyministeriumministry (office of a minister); employment, ministration; service, duty (attendance of or action by an inferior person vicischange; alternation; interchange; time; instance; seasonmūniaduties, functionscandidātusdressed in whitebellumwarōrdōa methodical series, arrangement, or order; regular line, row, or series; a class, station, condition, rank; a group or cōnsulātusthe consulate, consulship; the office of consul
The English word function itself goes back to Latin fungor, through functiō.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
function
actio: negotium (business): officium (duly; part to be performed): ministerium (service): vicis (genitive; nominative sing. not found; duty as performed by a substitute): munia (plur., only in this form; candidatorum, belli, ordinum, consulatus). Anybody’s functions, alicujus negotia, partes, officia, or munia: the functions of the consul, actio consularis: the functions of the tribunes, actiones tribunorum (Liv.): the natural functions of the body, naturales corporis actiones (☞ officium is also used of natural functions in poetry, officium quod corporis exstat, Lucr., 1, 337; and neque pes neque mens satis suum officium facit, performs its functions, Ter., Eun., 4, 5, 3). To perform functions, officiis fungi; officia exsequi; munia facere (Liv.), obire, or implere (Tac.); munia alicujus rei facere (Liv., ; e.g., belli); vice alicujus rei fungi (to serve for it; to serve its purpose); anybody’s functions, munia alicujus implere (e.g., ducis, Tac.); officiis alicujus fungi (Auct., Heren., 4, 34); vice alicujus fungi (the two last of being a substitute for him; doing the work that was usually done by another).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for function?
- The usual Latin words for “function” are āctiō, negōtium, officium; also ministerium, vicis, mūnia. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.