|> isn't proper partial function application. It can only apply a single parameter and you can't store a piped-into function in a variable the way you can a par

|> isn't proper partial function application. It can only apply a single parameter and you can't store a piped-into function in a variable the way you can a partially applied function in eg Haskell. Eg the following won't work: splitname = name |> String.split splitname.(" ") Also, it's a stretch to call & currying. It's shorthand syntax for making an anonymous function. If & is currying, then the following JS code is also currying: const cube = a => Math.pow(a, 3) Elixir doesn't have currying or partial function application any more than JS or C# do. If your definition of "functional" requires these features then Elixir isn't functional (and that's fine).