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performer

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Etymology and origin of the English word performer

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
c. 1443, R. Pecock, Reule of Crysten Religioun
Ultimate origins
Anglo-Norman parfourmerEnglish -er
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English perform
English performer
From the same root
English performance ← perform

Pronunciation

  • UK: /pəˈfɔːmə/[1]
  • US: /pɚˈfɔɹmɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is from English perform + -er.[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A person who carries out or fulfils something, a doer: about 1443, in Reginald Pecock's Reule of Crysten Religioun.[2] SOED dates the word to the late 16th century and Etymonline to the 1580s.[4][3]

Semantic evolution

The sense of someone who performs before an audience, acting, playing music, singing or dancing, is recorded from 1614, in Thomas Ravenscroft's discourse on music;[2] Etymonline dates the theatrical sense to 1711.[3] Johnson (1755) gave both: anyone who performs anything, and, as it was generally used, one who makes a public show of skill.[5] From 1884 the word was also used of a person or thing that carries out an activity in a stated way, and in finance of an investment judged by its return.[2][4] In 20th-century slang, originally among sailors, a performer was a troublemaker or someone who made a great fuss;[2][6] Green's Dictionary of Slang also records it for a philanderer (1896).[6]

Timeline

  • c. 1443 – a person who carries something out.[2]
  • 1614 – a person who performs before an audience.[2]
  • 1711 – the theatrical sense, in Etymonline's dating.[3]
  • 1884 – a person or thing that performs in a stated way.[2]
  • 1896 – slang: a philanderer.[6]
  • 1937 – slang, originally nautical: a troublemaker.[2][6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person who entertains an audience, such as an actor, musician, singer or dancer.
  2. A person or thing that carries out a task or activity, especially in a stated way: She is a strong performer in exams.
  3. (finance) An investment judged by its return: Gold was among the best performers of the decade.
  4. (slang, chiefly nautical, now rare) A troublemaker.

Word family

  • nonperformer

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  6. ^ a b c d Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
Cite this entry

“Performer.” Etymologically, 22 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/performer. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·