A programming paradigm that treats computation as the evaluation of mathematical functions, avoiding changing state and mutable data. Programs are built by composing pure functions that always return the same output for the same input.
From Latin 'functio' meaning performance or execution, combined with 'programming.' The paradigm emerged from lambda calculus developed by Alonzo Church in the 1930s, gaining prominence in computing through languages like LISP in the 1950s.
Functional programming is like cooking with a recipe where each step creates a new dish rather than modifying the original ingredients - you can always trace back exactly what happened! This is why functional code is often easier to test and debug, since functions don't have mysterious side effects.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.