Wiktionary

performant

English

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WOTD – 5 February 2021

Etymology

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From perform +‎ -ant (suffix forming agent nouns from verbs, and adjectives from verbs with the senses of ‘doing (the action of the verb’)), possibly modelled after informant.[1]

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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performant (comparative more performant, superlative most performant)

  1. Of or relating to performance.
    • 1990, Jean Alter, “Performant Function in Action”, in A Sociosemiotic Theory of Theatre, Philadelphia, Pa.: University of Pennsylvania Press, →ISBN, pages 60–61:
      A ballet visibly stresses the performant function even though, traditionally, it also claims to communicate some meaning. In sports, the performant function dominates more openly; but, in a symbiotic relation, it derives much of its vitality from a grafted referential function that operates through cultural signs. [...] As a rule, however, the performant function, when it is supported by truly impressive circus performances, tends to monopolize the audience's attention.
  2. Capable of or characterized by a high or excellent level of performance or efficiency.
    Synonyms: effective, efficient, high-performance, high-performing, responsive, successful
    • c. 1680, “An Account of the Barony of Forth, in the County of Wexford, Written at the Close of the Seventeenth Century. Edited by Herbert F[rancis] Hore.”, in Proceedings and Papers of the Kilkenny and South-east of Ireland Archæological Society, for the Year 1862. […], volume IV, part I (New Series), Dublin: […] University Press, […], published 1862, →OCLC, page 60:
      The inhabitants commonly use pacing Naggs, singularly performant in travaille, and easily kept in good case.
    • 1991, P. Scalliet, “Installation of a Hospital-based Protontherapy Center in the Province of Antwerp, Belgium”, in P. Chauvel, A. Wambersie, P. Mandrillon, editors, Epac 90: 2nd European Particle Accelerator Conference: Medical Satellite Meeting, Nice, June 14–16, 1990, Gif-sur-Yvette, Île-de-France: Editions Frontières, →ISBN, section 3.2 (Neutron Beams), page S95, column 1:
      Nevertheless, it should be realized that most of the trials were conducted with poorly performant neutron installations (similar to old 200 kV X-ray units).
    • 1991 August 8, “N91-23573# Societe d’Architectures en Milieux Extremes, Paris (France). European Stakes and Measures Permitting the Management of Geometric Dimensions [Enjeux Europeens et Mesures Permettant de Gerer les Dimensions Geometriques]”, in Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports, volume 29, number 15, [Washington, D.C.]: Scientific and Technical Information Division, NASA, →ISSN, →OCLC, section 42 (Geosciences (General)), page 2450, column 2:
      Within the Columbus program, the studies defining and optimizing the pressurized spaces must be based on extremely rigorous and highly performant modular and repetitive geometric dimensions, in compliance with ergonomic data inherent to the indispensable presence of man.
    • 1999, M. A. Trindade, A. Benjeddou, R. Ohayon, “Shear and Extension Actuation Mechanisms for Structural Vibration Control”, in Nesbitt W. Hagood IV, Mauro J. Atalla, editors, Ninth International Conference on Structures and Technologies, October 14–16, 1998, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., Lancaster, Pa., Basel: Techtronic Publishing Company, →ISBN, →ISSN, abstract, page 105:
      Results suggest that shear actuators can be more performant than extension ones for the control of bending operations.
    • 2009, Vladimir Dobrokhotov, “Mechanical Properties of Nanostructures”, in Yashwant Pathak, Deepak Thassu, editors, Drug Delivery Nanoparticles: Formulation and Characterization (Drugs and the Pharmaceutical Sciences; 191), New York, N.Y., London: Informa Healthcare, →ISBN, page 314:
      In our energy-conscious society, materials and structures are required to be more performant, lightweight, and cheap.
    1. (computing) Characterized by a level of performance or efficiency that is adequate for or exceeds the expectations of end users.
      • 1977, J[ohn] Rose, C[onstantin] Bilciu, editors, Modern Trends in Cybernetics and Systems: Proceedings of the Third International Congress of Cybernetics and Systems, Bucharest, Romania, August 25–29, 1975, volume 1, Blackburn, Lancashire: World Organisation of General Systems and Cybernetics, →ISBN, page 735:
        The program ALGOLOG is highly performant: it generated 259 linear subproblems, instead of 223.
      • 2000, Luc Van Gool, Reinhard Koch, Theo Moons, “New Techniques for 3D Modeling … … and for Doing Without”, in Peter Corke, James Trevelyan, editors, Experimental Robotics VI: The Sixth International Symposium, Sydney, Australia, March 26–28, 1999 (Lecture Notes in Control and Information Sciences; 250), London, Berlin: Springer-Verlag, →ISBN, abstract, page 79:
        Recently, a pure view-based object recognition approach was proposed, that is surprisingly performant.
      • 2003, Rod Johnson, Expert One-on-One: J2EE Design and Development (Programmer to Programmer), Birmingham: Wrox Press, →ISBN, page 5:
        There are strong arguments that some features of J2EE, such as entity beans, can never be as performant in many situations as some alternatives.
      • 2013, Thomas Valentine, Jonathan Reid, “JavaScript in Action”, in JavaScript Programmer’s Reference, Berkeley, Calif.: Apress, →ISBN, page 117:
        Yahoo uses YUI in their products, and as a result it is highly performant and well-tested.
      • 2014, Den Odell, “Browser Developer Tools”, in Pro JavaScript Development: Coding, Capabilities, and Tooling, Berkeley, Calif.: Apress, →ISBN, page 423:
        While we can run a plethora of tools against our code to check its quality in advance, there really is no substitute for running that code within a web browser to ensure not only that it runs correctly but also that it is performant and memory-efficient.
      • 2015, Paweł Cichosz, “Case Studies”, in Data Mining Algorithms Explained Using R, Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley, →ISBN, section 20.1 (Introduction), page 602:
        To keep the computational requirements within the reach of even aged and low-performant personal computers, computationally intensive operations are avoided.

Usage notes

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The word performant has found a niche in the 21st century through adoption in computing contexts, but remains otherwise practically unknown in day-to-day communication, where more common alternatives (such as high-performance, efficient or effective) are typically adopted.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Noun

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performant (plural performants)

  1. (obsolete, rare) Someone who performs something, such as a ritual; a performer.
    • 1809 January 30, S[amuel] T[aylor] Coleridge, “From His Leaving Clifton for London in 1801 to 1807, the Year of His Discovery of the Basis of the Fixed Alkalies. [Letter from Samuel Taylor Coleridge to Humphry Davy.]”, in John Davy, editor, Fragmentary Remains, Literary and Scientific, of Sir Humphry Davy, Bart., […], London: John Churchill, […], published 1858, →OCLC, page 110:
      As my heart bears me full witness with what unalloyed satisfaction I should have seen this last duty in your hands or in D. Giddy's, so I feel myself permitted to avow the pain, yea, the sense of shame, with which I contemplate Dr. Stock as the performant.
    • 1854 October 14, “[Current Literature.] The Goblin Snob, Imagined and Illustrated. By Henry L. Stephens. Dewitt & Davenport: New York: 1854. Oblong 4to. Pp. 96. For sale in Philadelphia by T. B. Peterson. [book review]”, in Bizarre. An Original, Literary Gazette, volume VI, number 1, Philadelphia, Pa.: Publication office, No 73, South Fourth Street, below Walnut, published 1855, →OCLC, page 12, column 1:
      That there is considerable drollery and fun in the work, alike of the pencil and the pen in this morceau, it were idle to deny. That the performant [Henry Louis Stephens] wields both with not a little freedom, nimbleness and ease, is obvious on inspection.
    • 1894, A[rthur] B[ernard] Cook, “Animal Worship in the Mycenaean Age”, in The Journal of Hellenic Studies, volume XIV, London: The Council [of the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies], and sold on their behalf by Macmillan and Co., […], →ISSN, →OCLC, section II (The Cult of the Lion), page 119:
      It would appear then that the Mycenaean lion-cult involved not only an animal oblation and a ὑδροφορία or λουτροφορία—in one case for the purpose of watering a sacred palm—but also a mimetic dance. The performants of these several offices were dressed in artificial lion-skins, and probably called by the name of λέοντες.
    • 1979, K[rishan] Kumar, The Pailibos, Shillong, Meghalaya: Government of Arunachal Pradesh, →OCLC, page 169:
      If a performant happens to be on unfriendly terms with any one in the village, the performant does everything to get him reconciled long before the preparation is taken in hand.
    • 1992, Winand M. Callewaert, “Singers’ Repertoires in Western India”, in R[onald] S[tuart] McGregor, editor, Devotional Literature in South Asia: Current Research, 1985–1988 (University of Cambridge Oriental Publications; 46), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press for the Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Cambridge, published 2003, →ISBN, page 29:
      Present-day musicologists in Rajasthan studying the Dev Nārāyaṇ or Pābūjī performance pay their performants by the hour.

References

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  1. ^ “performant, n. and adj.”, in OED Online  ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2005; “performant, adj. and n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Anagrams

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French

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Pronunciation

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Participle

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performant

  1. present participle of performer

Adjective

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performant (feminine performante, masculine plural performants, feminine plural performantes)

  1. efficient, effective, performant

Further reading

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Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French performant.

Adjective

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performant m or n (feminine singular performantă, masculine plural performanți, feminine and neuter plural performante)

  1. efficient, effective, performant

Declension

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singular plural
masculine neuter feminine masculine neuter feminine
nominative-
accusative 		indefinite performant performantă performanți performante
definite performantul performanta performanții performantele
genitive-
dative 		indefinite performant performante performanți performante
definite performantului performantei performanților performantelor

Descendants

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  • → Hungarian: performáns
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