funcie

Funcie is a fictional concept used in discussions of programming language theory to denote an abstract computation unit that acts as a pure function wrapped as a first-class value. In these thought experiments, a funcie encapsulates a computation that can be composed, transformed, or fed into higher-order constructs, while preserving referential transparency.

Typical properties include composability, being a first-class value, and the possibility of parameterizing over input or effect types. Funcies are often used to illustrate how higher-order abstractions such as functors, applicatives, or monads relate to simple functions. The term is commonly employed in educational materials to discuss how functions interact when lifted into abstract containers or contexts.

Formalization (illustrative): A funcie of type A is a wrapper around a function A -> R, where R may be a result type or a computational context. You may define map and flatMap as ways to transform the contained function. For example, a map that applies f: A -> B to a Funcie[A] yields a Funcie[B]. This framing is intentionally generic and not tied to a specific language syntax.

History and usage: The term emerged in online teaching materials and speculative discussions in the 2010s as a mnemonic to contrast plain functions with more complex value types. It is not an official language feature in mainstream languages. Critics argue it can confuse, but supporters say it helps reason about composition and abstraction.

See also: function, higher-order function, functor, monad, applicative, category theory.