FUN

6 definitions found across Law Mind sources

FUNAuthored
The Law Mind • 434 words
Definition
"Fun" has no established legal meaning. It does not appear as a term of art in Anglo-American law, and Burrill's Law Dictionary does not contain an entry for it. The entry fragment appearing in the source material belongs to FUNCTUS, a distinct Latin legal term meaning one who has performed or discharged an assigned function or office — most commonly encountered in the phrase functus officio.
Common Language
Modern common usage (Wiktionary): Enjoyable or amusing; whimsical or flamboyant. Historical common usage (Webster's 1913): Sport; merriment; frolicsome amusement. "Fun" in ordinary English denotes amusement or playfulness. It carries no legal freight and does not appear in legal texts as anything other than its common meaning when it appears at all. Researchers encountering "fun" in a legal document are reading ordinary language, not a term of art.
Common Confusion
The source fragment associated with this entry belongs to FUNCTUS, not "fun." The OCR or indexing process that produced the source excerpt appears to have truncated the headword. Researchers should consult the FUNCTUS entry directly. The two terms share no legal relationship; the proximity in the source is a digitization artifact, not a doctrinal connection.
Why It Matters in Research
Researchers searching the Law Mind corpus for "fun" are likely encountering one of two situations: (1) a truncated or corrupted scan of FUNCTUS or a related Latin term such as FUNCTUS OFFICIO, or (2) ordinary language in a document that carries no specialized legal significance. Historical legal texts are heavily Latinized, and OCR errors in digitized sources frequently fragment headwords. If a search returns results clustered around discussions of office, agency, authority, or discharge of duty, the operative term is almost certainly FUNCTUS OFFICIO, not "fun." Adjust search strings accordingly.
Historical Dictionary Support
Burrill's Law Dictionary contains no independent entry for "fun." The source fragment reproduced here is a partial capture of the FUNCTUS entry, which Burrill defines by reference to the Latin root fungor (to discharge an office) and the phrase functus officio — one who has performed the office assigned to him. No historical legal dictionary in the standard research shelf treats "fun" as a legal term. Black's Law Dictionary, Bouvier's Law Dictionary, and Tomlin's Law Dictionary are similarly silent on the point.
Related Terms
FUNCTUS — the Latin term with which this entry is likely confused FUNCTUS OFFICIO — the operative legal phrase; an officer or tribunal that has exhausted its authority OFFICE — parent concept relevant to functus analysis AUTHORITY — related concept in agency and administrative law contexts
FUNmain
Burrill's Law Dictionary • 1867
( 670 ) of until he had completed his twenty-first year, FUNCTUS. Lat. [from fungor, to disand had reached the twenty-second. (De charge an office.] One who has performed feodo militari habebit hæres plenam ætatem or discharged some function. Functus cum xxi. annum impleverit et xxii. attigerit.) officio; one who has performed some office Bract. fol. 86, 86 b. The son and heir of assigned to him. Platt, J. 15 Johns. R. a socman, on the other hand, was deemed 446. One whose official authority has age when he had completed fifteen years. ceased. Story, J. 1 Gallison's R. 69, 74. Id. ibid. The reason of this difference was Lord Ellenborough, 11 East, 194. Cum that greater maturity and strength, both semel officio tali functus fuerit; when he of mind and body, were requisite for bearshall have once discharged such office. ing arms, and performing the other duties Fleta, lib. 6, c. 37, § 14. This phrase of military or knight's service. Id. ibid. strictly is applicable only to persons, but Litt. sect. 103, 104. Co. Litt. 78 b. is sometimes applied to things, as to the seal of a writ, the endorsement of a commercial instrument, and the like. 19 Johns. R. 170. Mills, J. 3 A. K. Marshall's (Ky.) R. [324,] 1166. Wilde, J. 4 Metcalf's R. 343, 345. 3 Jones' Law R. 492. FULL BLOOD, (or WHOLE BLOOD.) A term of relation, denoting descent from the same couple. Brothers and sisters of full blood are those who are born of the same father and mother, or, as Justinian calls them, ex utroque parente conjuncti. Nov. 118, c. 2, 3. 1 Mackeld. Civ. Law, 140, § 132. The more usual term in modern law is whole blood, (q. v.)
FUNn.
Websters Unabridged Dictionary (1913) • 1913
Sport; merriment; frolicsome amusement. "Oddity, frolic, and fun." Goldsmith. To make fan of, to hold up to, or turn into, ridicule.
funadj
Wiktionary (English) • 2026
Wiktionary contributorsCC BY-SA 4.0 • via Kaikki
Extracted and formatted for display by Law Mind. Source link opens the current Wiktionary page and its contributor history; it is not a frozen copy of this extract.
Enjoyable or amusing. | Whimsical or flamboyant.
funnoun
Wiktionary (English) • 2026
Wiktionary contributorsCC BY-SA 4.0 • via Kaikki
Extracted and formatted for display by Law Mind. Source link opens the current Wiktionary page and its contributor history; it is not a frozen copy of this extract.
Amusement, enjoyment or pleasure. | Playful, often noisy, activity.
funverb
Wiktionary (English) • 2026
Wiktionary contributorsCC BY-SA 4.0 • via Kaikki
Extracted and formatted for display by Law Mind. Source link opens the current Wiktionary page and its contributor history; it is not a frozen copy of this extract.
To tease, kid, poke fun at, make fun of.

Explore the full Law Mind legal research platform.

SubscribeEncyclopediaSign In