Dictionary
func•tion•al
Pronunciation: (fungk'shu-nl), [key]—
adj.
1. of or pertaining 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. Med.without a known organic cause or structural change:
a functional disorder. Cf.
organic (def. 5).
6. pertaining to an algebraic operation:
a functional symbol.
7. Ling.(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.
—
n.
Math.a function that has a domain whose elements are functions, sets, or the like, and that assumes numerical values.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
