performant

English

Etymology

From French performant.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Adjective

performant (comparative more performant, superlative most performant)

1. (chiefly computing slang) Capable of or characterized by an adequate or excellent level of performance or efficiency.

   Synonyms: effective, efficient, fast, high-performing, responsive, successful

   • 1977, J. Rose & C. Bilciu, editors, Modern trends in cybernetics and systems‎^[1], page 735:

     The program ALGOLOG is highly performant: it generated 259 linear subproblems, instead of 2²³.

   • 2003, Rod Johnson, Expert One-on-One J2EE Design and Development‎^[2], 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, Jon Reid, JavaScript Programmer's Reference, Apress (→ISBN), page 117:

     Yahoo uses YUI in their products, and as a result it is highly performant and well-tested.

   • 2014, Den Odell, Pro JavaScript Development: Coding, Capabilities, and Tooling, Apress (→ISBN), page 423:

     […] 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.

2. Of or relating to performance.
   • 1990, Jean Alter, A Sociosemiotic Theory of Theatre, page 61:

     As a rule, however, the performant function, when it is supported by truly impressive circus performances, tends to monopolize the audience's attention.

Usage notes

In computing jargon, something performant is not necessarily efficient or optimal; it is “good enough” in a sense that performance levels meet or exceed the expectations of end users.

Related terms

• performance

Derived terms

• performantly

See also

• performative

Noun

performant (plural performants)

1. Someone who performs something, such as a ritual.

   Synonym: performer

   • 1858, John Davy, editor, Fragmentary Remains, Literary and Scientific, of Sir Humphry Davy, Bart:

     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.

   • 1894, “Animal Worship in the Mycenaean Age”, in The Journal of Hellenic Studies, page 119:

     The performants of these several oflices were dressed in artificial lion-skins, and probably called by the name of λέοντες.

   • 1979, Krishan Kumar, The Pailibos‎^[3], 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.

2. (Hebrew grammar) This term needs a definition. Please help out and add a definition, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
   • 1823, William Harris, Elements of the Chaldee Language: Intended as a Supplement to the Hebrew Grammars, and as a General Introduction to the Aramean Dialects:

     Verbs are declined through the persons by performants and terminations, according to the following table, in which the blanks represent the radicals of a perfect verb.

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French

Verb

performant

1. present participle of performer

Adjective

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

1. efficient, effective, performant

Further reading

• “performant” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).