To render something no longer functional or to cause it to stop working or serving its purpose.
From prefix 'de-' (reverse/remove) plus 'function.' The de- prefix comes from Latin and is used to create verbs meaning the opposite of the root word.
The prefix 'de-' is a linguistic Swiss Army knife—add it to almost any noun or adjective and you create a verb meaning to remove or reverse that quality, from 'decode' to 'defrost' to 'defunction.'
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