Perfunctory
/pərˈfʌŋk.tər.i/noun
Done with minimal effort or reflection; routine and cursory.
Did you know?Its deepest ancestor, Latin *fungi*, meant “to perform, discharge, or carry out” — the same root behind English *function*, so a “perfunctory” act is literally a function done without soul.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dheugh-
“to be fit, proper, or useful”
Latin
Latin
fungi
“to perform, execute, discharge”
Late Latin
Latin
perfunctus
“having fully performed or discharged”
16th Century
English
perfunctory
“done as a duty, hastily or superficially”
Modern English
English
perfunctory
“done with minimal effort or attention”
Explore more surprising origins