Performers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. People engaged in the execution of artistic displays or activities for an audience
2. Individuals who showcase talents or artistic expressions through live entertainment or presentations
3. Individuals who deliver artistic acts or entertainment in front of spectators

Etymology: "Performers" is the plural of "performer," and the interesting part is the ending rather than the verb. "Perform" came into English from Old French "parfournir," meaning "to furnish completely" or "to complete," a sense that survives in the older idea of performing a duty. The sense of putting on a show for an audience developed later, as the word narrowed from completing a task to executing a stage act. The "-er" suffix is far older than the verb. It descends from a Latin ending "-arius," which marked a person connected with an activity, and it arrived in English through Old English "-ere," which was itself used to form names for workers and practitioners. English then took the ending into a very large number of words, so "performer" is built from a verb plus a suffix that has been doing this job since the Roman period.

Synonyms: artists, entertainers, players