performer
UK[pəˈfɔːmə(r)]US[pərˈfɔːrmər]
n
a person who entertains an audience by acting, singing, dancing, or playing music
n
a person or thing that carries out a task or function, especially to a specified standard
Morpheme Breakdown
perform
er
perform
er
Etymology
The word 'performer' is a transparent English compound built from the verb 'perform' and the agent suffix '-er'. The verb 'perform' entered English via Anglo-Norman from the Old French 'parfournir', meaning "to complete, accomplish thoroughly", itself from 'par-' (thoroughly) and 'fournir' (to furnish or provide). The '-er' suffix is a native English element from Proto-Germanic '-ārijaz', used to form nouns denoting a person associated with an action. Thus, a 'performer' literally means "one who carries something out thoroughly", which evolved from a general sense of completing a task to the specialized modern sense of presenting artistic work before an audience.
Analysis
Structure: perform + er
- perform: From Anglo-Norman 'performer', Old French 'parfournir' (to complete, accomplish). Verb-forming root.
- er: From Old English '-ere', a Germanic agent noun suffix indicating "one who does or works with". Functional suffix.
Examples
The circus performer amazed the crowd with her acrobatic skills.
He is a consistent top performer in his sales team.
The new model is a high performer in fuel efficiency tests.