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> performant is not considered a real word in English, although I commonly see it used... This is close to being a contradiction in terms. The purpose of words
by SEMW 9y ago
> performant is not considered a real word in English, although I commonly see it used...
This is close to being a contradiction in terms. The purpose of words is to communicate, and if a word is being successfully used to communicate -- which clearly it is -- what exactly does it mean to say that isn't "considered a real word"?
Also, "Considered" by whom? The dictionary? Dictionaries are descriptivist -- they record usage, they don't prescribe it [0]. If it isn't in the dictionary yet, that's only because the usage hasn't been used widely and/or for long enough that it meets the inclusion criteria [1].
(As it happens, "performant" is at the stage where it is starting to pass those thresholds, and is now in the OED [2])
[0] http://englishplus.com/news/news1100.htm http://englishplus.com/news/news1100.htm
[1] http://public.oed.com/about/frequently-asked-questions/#qualify http://public.oed.com/about/frequently-asked-questions/#qual...
[2] https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/performant https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/performant
- jfk13 9y ago> (As it happens, "performant" is at the stage where it is starting to pass those thresholds, and is now in the OED [2]) Strictly speaking, I don't believe your [2] is the OED. It's "Oxford Living Dictionaries", which I assume tries to be more current/dynamic, but might be regarded as less authoritative. Interestingly, the word "performant" is in the OED itself, with the earliest citation being from 1809 -- but it is listed only as a noun, meaning "A person who performs a duty, ceremony, etc., a performer", not the adjectival usage under discussion here. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/262085?redirectedFrom=performant http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/262085?redirectedFrom=performa... (requires login)
- zimpenfish 9y agoWould you prefer the dictionary from Cambridge University Press as a source? https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/performant https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/performa...
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]