I. funk 1 /fʌŋk/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Sense 1: Date: 1900-2000 ; Origin: funky ]
[ Sense 2: Date: 1700-1800 ; Origin: Probably from Flemish fonck ]
[ Sense 3: Date: 1600-1700 ; Origin: Perhaps from French funquer 'to produce smoke' ]
1 . a style of music with a strong ↑ rhythm that is based on ↑ jazz and African music
2 . in a (blue) funk American English informal very unhappy, worried, or afraid:
She’s in a funk about giving her talk on Sunday.
3 . American English informal a strong smell that comes from someone’s body
II. funk 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive] British English old-fashioned
to avoid doing something because it is difficult, or because you are afraid