561
practice of making buildings and other objects for use and
convenience without considering beauty or appearance
—ist n, adj
func·tion·al·i·ty /ˌfʌŋkəˈnælɪti/ n [C,U] one or all of the
operations that a computer, software program, or piece of
equipment is able to perform
func·tion·a·ry /'fʌŋkʃənərɪl-nerɪ/ n often derog a person who
has unimportant or unnecessary official duties
'function key n a key on the KEYBOARD of a machine such as
a computer or a calculator which tells the machine which
action to perform
fund¹ /fʌnd/ also funds pl. — n a supply or sum of money set
apart for a special purpose: Part of the school sports fund will
be used to improve the football pitch. | We made a contribution
to the famine relief fund. | The cost is being repaid out of
government funds. | She's the manager of a pension fund for a
large manufacturer. | (infml or humor) I'm a bit short of funds (=I
haven't got much money) at the moment. 1 (fig.) She's got a
fund of amusing jokes.
fund² v [T] 1 to provide money for (an activity, organization
etc): The scientists' search for a cure for this disease is being
funded by the government. 2 tech to make (a debt) into a
lasting debt on which a fixed yearly interest will be paid
fun-da-men-tal¹ /ˌfʌndəˈmentl/ adj 1 a) (of a quality,
idea, development etc) being at the base, from which all else
develops; deep; BASIC: There's a fundamental difference in
attitude between these two politicians. | The changes will have
to be fundamental if they are to have any effect. b) of the
greatest importance; having a greater effect than all others:
The fundamental purpose of my plan is to encourage further
development. | [+to] A knowledge of economics is fundamental
to any understanding of this problem. 2 [A] (of a quality)
belonging to a person's or thing's deep true character: He
has some rather strange ideas sometimes, but no one can doubt
his fundamental good sense. ➔ see also FUNDAMENTALLY
fundamental² n [often pl.] a rule, law etc on which a system
is based; necessary or important part: the fundamentals of
cooking.
fundamental force n tech any of the four forces in the
universe that are said to be properties of matter. They are
GRAVITY, ELECTROMAGNETISM, the STRONG FORCE, and the
WEAK FORCE.
fun-da-men-tal-is-m /ˌfʌndəˈmentəlɪzəm/ n [U] 1 the
practice of following the rules of a religion, such as Christi-
anity or Islam, very strictly and exactly 2 an American
religious movement among some Protestant Christians, espe-
cially in the south, which includes belief in the VIRGIN BIRTH,
the SECOND COMING of Christ, and that the truth of the Bible
must not be questioned. Fundamentalists do not believe in
EVOLUTION and have sometimes tried to stop it being taught
in schools.
fun-da-men-tal-ist /ˌfʌndəməˈmentəl-ɪst/ n someone who
follows the rules of a religion, such as Christianity or Islam,
very strictly and exactly: Islamic fundamentalists
—fundamentalist adj
fun-da-men-tal-ly /ˌfʌndəˈmentəli/ adv in every way that
really matters or is important; ESSENTIALLY: Although a few of
your facts aren't right, your answer is fundamentally correct. |
She is fundamentally unsuited to office work.
fund-hold-er /ˈfʌndˌhəldə/ n BrE an NHS doctor who
controls his/her own BUDGET (=amount of money set aside
for spending)
fund-ing /ˈfʌndɪŋ/ n [U] an amount of money used for a
specific purpose: Funding may be available from the UN.
'fund raiser n a person or an event which collects money for
a specific cause, usually in support of a CHARITY —fund
raising n [U]
fu-ne-ral /ˈfjunərəl/ n 1 a ceremony, usually religious, of
burying or burning a dead person: The old lady's funeral was
held at the local church. | The bishop conducted her funeral
service. | a funeral procession | a funeral pyre ➔ see also
ashes to ashes, dust to dust (ASH), in the midst of life we
are in death (LIFE) 2 be someone's funeral inflml to concern
or be important for someone, and no one else: If you miss
the train, that's your funeral - don't expect the rest of us to
wait for you.
funicular
CULTURAL NOTE In the US and UK, funerals usually take
place in a church, or in a CHAPEL (=small church). The
COFFIN (=special box that holds a dead person) is brought
to the church in a special black car called a HEARSE. The
rel
ati
ves and friends of the dead person are called the
mourners, and they usually follow the hearse in other
black cars. At some funerals in the US, the coffin is open
and people look at the dead person before the funeral
service starts. In the UK the coffin is always closed. The
funeral service usually includes music and prayers, and
someone usually says a EULOGY (=a speech about the
dead person and their good qualities). After the funeral
service, the body is either buried in a cemetery, or
CREMATED (=burned) in a special building called a
CREMATORIUM. If the person is buried, there is usually a
short ceremony beside the grave, and people traditionally
throw a handful of earth into the grave. If the body is
cremated, the ASHES are given to the family, who often
scatter them in a pleasant place. People usually wear
black clothes to a funeral, and they usually send flowers
that are put around the coffin during the funeral service.
After the funeral, family and friends often get together to
have food and drink and talk about the person who has
died.
'funeral di,rector also mortician AmE — n fml a person
whose business is to arrange for dead people to be buried or
burned; UNDERTAKER
'funeral home also 'funeral parlor AmE — n a funeral
director's place of business
fu-ne-ra-ry /'fjuːnərəriˌl-nɛreri/ adj [A] tech suited or used
for a funeral: a funerary urn (=a large container for the ashes
of a person)
fu-ne-re-al /fjuˈnɪəriəl/ adj heavy and sad; suitable for a
funeral: They went along at a funeral pace. (=very slowly) |
funeral music —-ly adv
fun-fair /'fʌnfeə / BrE || carnival AmE — n a noisy brightly-
lit outdoor show that usually moves from town to town at
which one can ride on machines, play games of skill for
small prizes, and enjoy other amusements
fungal /'fʌŋɡəl/ of, like, or related to fungus
fun-gi-cide /'fʌndʒɪsaɪd, -gɪ-/ n [C;U]a chemical substance
used for destroying or preventing fungus
fun-goid /'fʌŋɡoɪd/ adj tech like a fungus; of the nature of a
fungus: fungoid growths
fun-gous /'fʌŋɡəs/ adj tech ➔ see FUNGAL
fungi
fun-gus /'fʌŋɡəs/ n pl. -gi /dʒaɪ, gaɪ/, -guses 1 [C] a simple
fast-growing plant without flowers, leaves, or green colouring,
which may either be in a large form, with a fleshy stem
supporting a broad rounded top (MUSHROOMS, TOADSTOOLS
etc), or in a very small form, with a powderlike appearance
(MILDEW, MOULD etc); edible fungi 2 [U] these plants in
general, especially considered as a disease: My roses were
suffering from fungus. | Fungus can cause wooden floorboards
to decay.
Fungus the 'Bogeyman a children's book by the British
writer Raymond Briggs. It contains a lot of funny pictures of
Fungus the Bogeyman, a silly creature who is smelly, dirty,
ugly, and everything that children are not supposed to be.
fu-nic-u-lar /fjuˈnɪkʃələr/ also funicular railway n a
small railway up a slope or a mountain, worked by a thick
metal rope, often with one carriage going up as another
comes down