performancen.
/pəˈfɔːməns/, U.S. /pərˈfɔrməns/ 1. † d. A literary, artistic, or other creative work; a composition. Obsolete.
a. The accomplishment or carrying out of something commanded or undertaken; the doing of an action or operation.In quot. c1487 with reference to the construction of a canal (cf. perform v. 5a).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > doing > [noun]
workingOE
deedc1000
makinglOE
gestsa1340
doing1372
makea1400
workmanshipc1400
faction1447
action1483
performancec1487
performation1504
performent1527
fact1548
practice1553
agitation1573
practisy1573
function1578
affair1598
acture1609
perpetrationa1631
employing1707
the world > action or operation > carrying out > [noun]
workingOE
executionc1374
performinga1425
expedition1445
executing1480
administration1483
performancec1487
performation1504
handiworka1513
performent1527
dispatchment1529
depeaching1540
exploit1548
depeach?a1562
dispatchinga1564
dispatch1581
acting1598
outbearing1605
peraction1623
expediting1643
implement1754
solutiona1859
out-carrying1869
actuation1875
c1487 J. Skelton tr. Diodorus Siculus Bibliotheca Historica i. 46 Darius the Grete, Kynge of Perce, adressynge hymself vnto the performaunce of the same [sc. a canal], lefte it er it were made an ende of.
a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) I. lxxv. f. xxviiiv For the parfourmaunce of the rest or other dele of the same.
1579 in Monthly Mag. (1813) Aug. 44 The boy offendinge by his father or mother [shall be] whipped, the constable seeinge the performance therof.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) ii. iii. 29 Lecherie, Sir, it prouokes, and vnprouokes: it prouokes the desire, but it takes away the performance . View more context for this quotation
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. i. ii. 33 In performance of the last Problem,..the Lines A and C, must be set upon one and the same Line.
1739 D. Hume Treat. Human Nature II. iii. 251 I may will the performance of certain actions as means of obtaining any desir'd good.
1785 J. Baverstock Hydrometrical Observ. & Exper. iv. 17 Having given these directions, for the performance of our experiment on hops.
1844 H. J. Stephen New Comm. Laws Eng. III. 35 The performance of a post mortem examination.
1879 G. C. Harlan Eyesight iv. 46 In the performance of some experiment.
1920 Times 9 Apr. 9/3 In the performance of this task he is devoting the resources of his organization to securing return cargoes.
1998 Polit. Res. Q. 51 638 Barring the use of public buildings for the performance of abortions.
b. The quality of execution of such an action, operation, or process; the competence or effectiveness of a person or thing in performing an action; spec. the capabilities, productivity, or success of a machine, product, or person when measured against a standard.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > [noun] > capabilities of
performance1598
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > [noun] > motor vehicle > qualities of motor vehicle
driveability1880
petrol consumption1902
performance1907
roadholding1921
acceleration1922
crashworthiness1948
gradeability1952
1598 H. Roberts Honours Conquest sig. Q2v Euery man speaking his opinion of the honourable fight, and commending the manner of the same, and good performance of the leaders.
1694 Bp. J. Robinson Acct. Sueden vi. 65 Several Learned men from abroad, that have..raised an Emulation in the Natives, whose best Performance is in the History, Antiquities, and Ancient Laws of the Countrey.
1766 A. Cumming Elements Clock & Watch-work 161 Thus may the performance of watches be made..to approximate that of clocks.
1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 77 That there is a certain velocity..which will procure to an overshot-wheel the greatest performance.
1886 Times 14 Apr. 16/4 They have proved remarkably handy vessels, thanks in great measure to the excellent performance of their powerful hydraulic steering gear.
1907 Proc. Incorporated Inst. Automobile Engineers 1 235 A formula of this kind..is most useful in comparing the performance of small engines with large.
1951 Jrnl. Higher Educ. 22 37/1 An inspection and tabulation of their performance on the final comprehensive examination has substantiated the previous a priori definition of ‘satisfactory’ performance.
1984 D. S. Frith & H. G. Macintosh Teacher's Guide to Assessm. i. 28 Continuous assessment—a continuous updating of judgements about a pupil's performance.
2003 Providence (Rhode Island) Jrnl.-Bull. (Nexis) 21 Nov. d1 The council meets to discuss an employee's performance.
c. Something performed or done; an action, act, deed, or operation; (occasionally) †a notable deed, achievement, or exploit (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > doing > [noun] > an act or deed
deedc825
i-wurhtc888
workOE
casec1325
acta1393
actiona1393
operationc1395
featc1420
exploitc1425
commissionc1475
factc1487
practice1547
part1561
practisement1581
issuea1616
performancea1616
performenta1641
factum1641
coup1791
stunt1904
a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) v. i. 12 Besides her walking, and other actuall performances, what..haue you heard her say? View more context for this quotation
1655 Ld. Orrery Parthenissa III. ii. iii. 319 Shee..manifesting by the esteeme shee plac't upon the performance, how much a higher one shee had for him, for whome 'twas perform'd.
1744 E. Haywood Female Spectator (1748) No. 8 II. 62 I am not apt to be vain of my own performances.
1768 N.Y. Gaz. 22 Feb. (advt.) I hope my Work and Performances will bear me witness of the Truth of the above asserted.
1836 T. Hook Gilbert Gurney I. iii. 85 Egg-eating and prawn-picking are not delicate performances.
1866 ‘G. Eliot’ Felix Holt I. xi. 242 He..had given especial attention to certain performances with a magnet.
1920 W. Camp Football without Coach i. 17 A player should take the ball in his hands,..release it and pass it to the next player. This next man repeats the performance.
1992 Independent 20 Jan. 14/6 He, perhaps realising that he had been rumbled, was either too wise or too windy to repeat the performance.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > literature > a written composition > [noun]
i-writeOE
bookOE
writOE
workOE
pagine?c1225
lettrurec1330
dite1340
inditing1340
writing1340
scripta1350
dittya1387
stylea1400
scriptiona1425
framec1475
invention1484
piece1533
ditement1556
paperwork1577
composition1603
confection1605
composure?1606
page?1606
the written word1619
performance1665
literature1852
1665 J. Glanvill Sciri Tuum: Authors Defense 51 in Scepsis Scientifica That great man, the excellence of whose Philosophick genius and performances, the most improv'd spirits acknowledge.
1753 W. Hogarth Anal. Beauty xi. 89 In justice to so fine a performance [sc. a statue of Apollo]..we may subjoin an Observation or two on its perfections.
1795 A. Thomas Newfoundland Jrnl. (1968) 204 The Aquaducts in and near Lisbon, by which the City is supply'd with Water are very curious. That at Alcante is a wonderfull performance.
1818 D. W. Garrow Hist. & Antiq. Croydon 59 He published..lives of..Saints, and other performances.
1871 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues I. 44 His performances in prose are bad enough.
e. Psychology. The observable or measurable behaviour of a person or animal in a particular, usually experimental, situation. Also as a count noun: an observable or measurable action.
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the mind > mental capacity > psychology > developmental psychology > acquisition of knowledge > test of mental ability > response to test > [noun]
performance1898
accomplishment quotient1920
achievement quotient1921
1898 E. L. Thorndike in Psychol. Rev. Monogr. Suppl. 2 iv. 39 The best interpretation of even the most extraordinary performances of animals has been that they were the result of accident and association or imitation.
1938 R. S. Woodworth Exper. Psychol. vi. 138 Several varieties of performance preferential have been discovered.
1964 C. N. Cofer & M. H. Appley Motivation xi. 520 This distinction between learning and performance and the effects of drive on performance constitute the second problem.
2002 Jrnl. Head Trauma Rehabilitation 17 526 Patients were best classified by poor performance on measures of affect disturbance and impaired awareness.
f. Business. The extent to which an investment is profitable, esp. in relation to other commodities; an instance of this.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > [noun] > prices of stocks and shares > rise or tendency to rise
rally1826
results1829
bull run1882
buoyancy1883
firming-up1896
recovery movement1896
performance1926
upside1961
1926 Forbes 1 June 64/3 Until we have had an example of deviation from past performances it is safe to follow precedent.
1964 Wall St. Jrnl. 9 Sept. 8/3 Charts showing the market performance of a single regular investment in a funds share long have been permitted by the SEC.
2001 Financial Times 27 Jan. (Personal Finance Q. Review) 12/2 Research..found that five years ago the sector to which a company belonged explained about 7 per cent of the performance of its shares.
g. Linguistics. N. Chomsky's name for: a person's actual use of a language, as opposed to his or her knowledge of it. Cf. competence n. 4f.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > [noun] > use of grammar
performance1963
1963 N. Chomsky in R. D. Luce et al. Handbk. Math. Psychol. II. 326 A generative grammar..can be regarded as a partial theory of what the mature speaker of the language knows. It in no sense purports to be a description of his actual performance.
1971 B. L. Liles Introd. Transformational Gram. i. 8 Another way of stating this is to say that he is interested in the speaker's competence, or knowledge of the language, rather than in his performance, or actual use of it.
1990 Appl. Linguistics 11 370 The distinction between performance and competence has been with us for over twenty years now, and..it has pretty much established itself in linguistic theory.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > ornamental textiles > ornamental trimmings > [noun] > fur
bysec1280
blaunnerc1330
furrurea1387
pampilion1487
performancec1525
c1525 Skinner's Inventory in Codicil to Will of T. Burgh (Somerset Ho.) Item a performaunce of fox poutes xvjd... Item a performaunce of conye wombys xijd.
3. The carrying out, discharge, or fulfilment of a command, duty, promise, purpose, responsibility, etc.; execution, discharge. Frequently opposed to promise.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > carrying out > [noun] > of a command, duty, or plan
fulfilling1340
fulling1383
fullingc1400
acquittal1430
discharge1434
acquitc1460
performation1504
performance1530
performancy1608
acquittance1660
1530 St. German's Secunde Dyaloge Doctour & Student xi. f. xxviiiv The sayd executoures delyuer the goodes of theyr testatoure in performaunce of the sayd bequeste.
1598 in F. J. Furnivall Child-marriages, Divorces, & Ratifications Diocese Chester (1897) 162 The maior of the said Citie..shall Cause performans of this agrement to be had vpon either side.
1623 in N. Shaks. Soc. Trans. (1885) 503 Securitie..for the performance of the said intier pencion of three shillinges.
1698 R. South 12 Serm. III. 306 Very large in Pretence and Promise, but short in Performance.
1725 D. Defoe New Voy. round World i. 168 Bail or Security for the Performance.
1785 W. Paley Princ. Moral & Polit. Philos. iii. i. v. 111 Promises are not binding, where the performance is unlawful.
1814 H. F. Cary tr. Dante Vision I. xxiv. 104 To fair request Silent performance maketh best return.
1893 Times 28 Apr. 9/4 Mr. Goschen's speech was a scathing exposure of the contrast between promise and performance.
1972 Police Rev. 8 Dec. 1593/3 The deposit of a sum of money..for the due performance of the conditions of a recognizance.
4.
a. The action of performing a play, piece of music, ceremony, etc.; execution, interpretation.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > carrying out > [noun] > formal or set execution
performance?1611
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > [noun] > performing
performance?1611
rendition1851
spieling1859
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > a performance > [noun]
melodyc1300
musical1579
performance?1611
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > [noun] > a performance > interpretation
performance?1611
reading1814
rendering1840
interpretation1880
?1611 G. Chapman tr. Homer Iliads xxiv. 341 While that worke, and all the funerall rites Were in performance.
1694 W. Holder Treat. Harmony Introd. sig. B The Masters of Harmonick Composure, and the skilfull Artists in Performance.
1774 W. Dalrymple Let. 26 Nov. in Trav. Spain & Portugal (1777) 170 I saw the translation of a French play represented here with some degree of performance.
1840 T. Busby & J. A. Hamilton Dict. 3,000 Mus. Terms (ed. 3) 109 Marcato, a term implying a strong and marked style of performance.
1891 Law Times 90 250/2 It was a piece of music arranged for a band, and could only be of value for the purposes of public performance.
1935 Rev. Eng. Stud. 11 95 The plays were written for performance on a stage.
1961 Listener 19 Oct. 627/1 Liszt's pianism (his writing for the instrument as well as the style of performance) is perhaps the least problematic.
2003 Philadelphia Inquirer (Nexis) 25 May h1 Guan said he wasn't opposed to it at the time, and came to like the new revolutionary style of performance.
b. A ceremony, rite, or ritual. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > carrying out > [noun] > formal or set execution > that which is formally performed
performance1673
1673 True Notion Worship of God 14 Enquiry..concerning the performances in use amongst the Heathens in the worship of their gods.
a1716 R. South Serm. Several Occasions (1744) X. 21 This is the philosophy of the popish operators in all their religious performances.
1758 S. Hayward Seventeen Serm. p. xiv To think there is nothing in religion; by which means our public performances are despised.
1869 ‘M. Twain’ Innocents Abroad liii. 561 Some kind of religious performance around a disk of white marble let into the floor.
1973 J. Singer Boundaries of Soul v. 123 Many religious practices and performances seem to be carried out for the sole purpose of calling forth the power of the numinosum at will.
2002 Newcastle (Australia) Herald (Nexis) 27 Aug. (Suppl.) 38 Sumo wrestling..originated in ancient times as religious performances to the Shinto gods.
c. An instance of performing a play, piece of music, etc., in front of an audience; an occasion on which such a work is presented; a public appearance by a performing artist or artists of any kind. Also: an individual performer's or group's rendering or interpretation of a work, part, role, etc. In extended use: a pretence, a sham.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > [noun] > a performance
entertainment1640
performance1696
programme1799
set-out1818
slang1861
perf1919
1696 in A. Behn Younger Brother (front matter) p. iii I cou'd not suppose a very severe treatment from the Town, which has been very indulgent to the Performances of others.
1710 R. Steele Tatler No. 115. ⁋1 I shall not fail to write a Critick upon his Performance.
1752 D. Garrick Let. 28 July (1963) I. 182 I have taken some pains to be at Liberty to act the Doctor's Play the Ensuing Season, but it is impossible for Me now to fix ye Performance of it.
1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 1st Ser. II. 203 The hour fixed for the commencement of the performances.
1897 Westm. Gaz. 12 July 5/1 According to his evidence a performance was not a performance unless paid for and money was taken at the doors.
1903 H. James Ambassadors xi. xxxi. 411 It had been a performance, Mme. de Vionnet's manner, and though it had..faltered toward the end..a performance it had none the less quite handsomely remained.
1944 J. Agate Diary 21 Oct. in Selective Ego (1976) 199 Olivier has heightened and deepened and widened his performance out of recognition.
1991 Opera News Sept. 57/1 At first they feel discomfort..but by the time of the performance..the orchestra is thrilled to play it.
d. A display of anger or exaggerated behaviour; a fuss, a scene; (also) a difficult, time-consuming, or annoying action or procedure.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > affected behaviour or affectation > [noun] > theatrical or exaggerated behaviour
histrionicism1665
histrionisma1682
theatricalness1727
theatricality1837
play-actorism1851
theatricalism1854
performance1864
melodramatics1865
theatricism1872
camping1922
histrionics1922
theatric1929
amateur dramatics1984
the mind > emotion > anger > manifestation of anger > [noun] > fit(s) or outburst(s) of anger
wratha1200
wrethea1400
hatelc1400
angerc1425
braida1450
fumea1529
passion1530
fustian fume1553
ruff1567
pelt1573
spleen1590
blaze1597
huff1599
blustera1616
dog-flawa1625
overboiling1767
explosion1769
squall1807
blowout1825
flare-up1837
fit1841
bust-up1842
wax1854
Scot1859
pelter1861
ructions1862
performance1864
outfling1865
rise1877
detonation1878
flare-out1879
bait1882
paddy1894
paddywhack1899
wingding1927
wing-dinger1933
eppie1987
the world > action or operation > difficulty > types of difficulty > [noun] > difficulty, trouble, or bother > a difficult or troublesome procedure
performance1962
1864 A. Trollope Can you forgive Her? I. xxxix. 306 A gentleman in such a case, I say, would generally feel some awkwardness in sitting down to tea with the lady at the close of such a performance.
1936 G. B. Shaw Six of Calais 94 He barks to the last moment. John of Gaunt laughs ecstatically at this performance, and sets off some of the soldiers.
1962 A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio x. 176 Dialling is rather more of a performance than being on the receiving end of a phone call.
1998 Independent (Nexis) 6 Feb. (Features section) 2 Then I laugh at myself for worrying so much and make a performance out of it, stomp around, tear out my hair and talk up a storm.
Compounds
performance anxiety n. (a state of) nervousness or fear preceding or accompanying participation in a particular activity (typically either sexual intercourse or a public performance of some sort), esp. to the point where ability to carry out the activity is affected.
ΚΠ
1960 Social Forces 38 226/1 (note) Since most wind players are soloists..the condition for a ‘performance anxiety’ is built into their job.
1976 Family Coordinator 25 236/1 The new norms yield expectations which..may increase couples' performance anxiety, male impotence, and female orgasmic dysfunction and frustration.
2002 N. Lebrecht Song of Names xi. 306 Call it performance anxiety or the worst case of stage fright in history, but I could not live with being less than I was cracked up to be.
performance appraisal n. the appraisal of how well an employee or student performs in his or her work; an instance of this.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > evaluation, estimation, appraisal > [noun] > appraisal of character or qualities
estimate1589
vetting1918
appraisal1950
positive vetting1954
performance appraisal1955
peer review1967
1955 Jrnl. Business 28 32/1 It is apparent that there is a real basis for believing that a significant and persistent managerial problem exists in the area of performance appraisal.
1972 Accountant 28 Sept. 385/1 Essential records are..those for employee turnover, performance appraisals, dynamic job descriptions/specifications.
1996 Univ. Vermont Rec. 13 Sept. 8/1 The performance appraisal is a communication tool for every supervisor on campus.
performance art n. an art form involving the performance of (usually non-narrative) actions in front of an audience, and often combining elements from both the visual and performing arts.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > the arts in general > [noun] > an art
art1842
art form1855
mass art1938
performance art1971
1971 Rolling Stone 24 June 37 Performance art is basically an extension of art into the theater.
1978 Times 23 Nov. 18/1 Three fine arts graduates were discovered walking around East Anglia with a pole on their heads, supported by a council grant for a work of performance art.
2000 Anchorage (Alaska) Daily News (Nexis) 25 Aug. (Weekend section) 15 h A piece of performance art combining action and installed art.
performance artist n. a person engaged or taking part in performance art.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > artist > [noun] > artist of specific movement or period
mannerist1695
romanticist1821
trecentist1821
classicist1827
romantic1827
expressionist1850
classicalist1851
Gothicist1861
literalist1862
realist1868
modernist1879
verist1884
classic1885
symbolist1888
decadent1890
veritist1894
neoclassicist1899
neo-romantic1899
renaissancer1899
social realist1909
avant-garde1910
futurist1911
pasticheur1912
Bloomsbury1917
postmodern1917
pre-Romantic1918
Dadaist1919
German expressionist1920
super-realist1925
surrealist1925
New Romantic1930
brutalist1934
socialist-realist1935
avant-gardist1940
New Negro1953
neo-modernist1958
bricoleur1965
popster1965
sound artist1966
performance artist1975
1975 Times 16 June 2/6 Mr Richards says he is a ‘performance artist’.
1990 New Yorker 16 Apr. 10/3 The performance artist Karen Finley has a bad-girl reputation for fluent profanity,..taboo-bashing, and solo food fights.
performance bond n. Banking and Commercial Law a bond issued by a bank, etc., guaranteeing the fulfilment of a particular contract.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > stocks, shares, or bonds > [noun] > bond > types of bond
government securities1707
Sword-blade bond1707
long bond1720
government paper1774
indent1788
premium bond1820
active1835
preference bond1848
investment bond1853
mortgage bond1853
revenue bond1853
municipal bond1858
treasury-bond1858
sices1867
property bond1869
government1870
priority bond1884
municipal1888
income bonds1889
yearling1889
war baby1901
Liberty Bond1917
Liberty Loan1917
victory bond1917
corporate1922
performance bond1938
convertible1957
Eurobond1966
Euroconvertible1968
managed bond1972
muni1973
granny bond1976
bulldog bond1980
Euro1981
granny1981
strip1982
zero1982
1938 Sun (Baltimore) 3 June 4/3 It is..a general practice that the solicitor writing the ‘bid bonds’ also writes the ‘performance bond’ of the same contractor if his bid is accepted.
1992 J. Phillips & J. O'Donovan Mod. Contract of Guarantee 663 Performance or guarantee bonds have in recent years been common in construction contracts as a means of guaranteeing to the proprietor the financial viability of the builder and the builder's obligations under the construction contract.
performance car n. a car with high performance; a fast or powerful car.
ΚΠ
1926 Times 21 Sept. 6/1 An Italian super-performance car built to laugh at mountain roads and hard usage.]
1955 Jrnl. Operations Res. Soc. Amer. 3 297 A small and light trailer..which could easily be attached to a light performance car.
1995 Esquire Aug. 122/1 Designers such as Elwood Engel shaped fastbacked, droop-snooted performance cars around Chrysler's legendary ‘Hemi’ engine.
performance-enhancing adj. that enhances performance; (Sport) designating or relating to a substance (frequently one proscribed in competition) which improves athletic performance.
ΚΠ
1979 Washington Post (Nexis) 27 May d4 Not that boxers haven't tried to find performance-enhancing drugs.
1991 Metalworking Production Sept. 61/1 Performance-enhancing PVD coatings.
1998 Mirror (Electronic ed.) 21 May The pills are perfectly legal and do not break any sporting rules about performance-enhancing substances.
2002 New Yorker 15 July 48/3 It is..hard to write about cycling and not discuss performance-enhancing drugs.
performance grammar n. Linguistics a description of the rules or strategies which people use when they produce and understand sentences.
ΚΠ
1971 College Eng. 33 179 Thus they come up with what might be called a ‘performance’ grammar, which does have use for formal recognition of an occurring/non-occurring distinction.
1991 Using Corpora (Proc. Conf. Univ. Waterloo Centre for New OED) 78 The relative frequencies of different tags and tag sequences provide interesting information about the ‘performance grammar’ of speech.
performance history n. (a) a record of an employee's history of achievement; (b) the history of the performances of a play; (c) a film production company's record of compliance with union regulations, promptness in paying salaries, etc.
ΚΠ
1974 Times 27 Nov. 28/3 Contractors with experience in comparable work..may apply..giving the following information... Performance history on work of a similar nature.
1978 Washington Post (Nexis) 8 Oct. e7 We have lost a lot of basic documentation on the performance history of America's most distinctive contribution to musical theatre.
1983 E. Ward & A. Silver Film Director's Team 187 Performance History, a production company's record of having complied with union conditions and made prompt payment of salaries and fringes.
2003 Irish Times (Nexis) 24 Mar. (Arts section) 14 Coming to the play without knowing its performance history or having seen a previous production was liberating for Cooke.
performance indicator n. a variable by which the success or productivity of a venture, policy, or product can be gauged.
ΚΠ
1959 Sociometry 22 108 The Ss used this performance indicator in making his rating of the relevant characteristics.
1995 Independent 18 Oct. (Suppl.) 13/2 Oxfam's management has decided to introduce a system of performance indicators to measure the impact their programmes are having.
performance poet n. a person who composes and performs performance poetry.
ΚΠ
1978 Washington Post 13 Mar. b11/5 The axis of the evening's doings was Gaver, who calls himself a ‘performance poet’ because his art is as much in his kinetic, engagingly kinky delivery as in the words.
1995 Times Lit. Suppl. 3 Nov. 17/2 [He] asperges ‘performance poets’, forgetting that until Caxton nearly all poetry was performance poetry.
performance poetry n. a form of poetry composed to be performed as a dramatic monologue or exchange, frequently involving extemporization.
ΚΠ
1977 Washington Post 12 Sept. b12/1 ‘Performance poetry’..is like poetry reading heightened into theatrical performance by an infusion of body movement, costumes, lighting, props and sound effects.
1990 Independent 1 Oct. 20/2 The latest trend..is towards performance poetry, in which the emphasis is as much on presentation as on content.
performance practice n. [after German Aufführungspraxis (1924 or earlier)] Music the way in which music is or has been performed, esp. as concerns issues of authenticity or appropriateness of style in the performance of music from a particular repertoire or date; the study of this as an academic discipline.
ΚΠ
1951 Jrnl. Aesthetics & Art Crit. 9 276 Those who actually play early chamber music will find valuable information about performance practices of the time.
1970 Sat. Rev. (U.S.) 31 Oct. 55 Mr. Weaver shows a commendable awareness of performance practice, even though scholars are not unanimous—namely the notes inégales in the finale of No. 3 where he adjusts the left hand to the triplet meter in the right.
2003 Grand Forks (N. Dakota) Herald (Nexis) 24 Oct. His doctoral research focused on French Baroque performance practice and the music of 18th century composer Jean-Philippe Rameau.
performance rating n. an assessment of how well an employee, company, product, etc., performs.
ΚΠ
1922 Bull. Taylor Soc. Aug. 142 Performance ratings and bonuses for salaried employees.
1977 H. Greene FSO-1 vi. 56 I never discuss an officer's performance rating with anyone but him.
1990 T. Cunliffe Easy on Helm i. 7 Yachts with a higher performance rating are equipped with an adjustable backstay.
performance-related adj. that is related to or dependent upon how well a person, thing, etc., performs.
ΚΠ
1961 Sociometry 24 53 At the conclusion of the discussion period, each group's discussion was rated on five performance-related variables.
1977 Harvard Business Rev. (Nexis) Nov. 123 They use performance-related bonuses more frequently and bonuses based on seniority or local tradition less frequently than do local companies.
1996 Independent 7 Mar. 9/4 Management say they want to help us by introducing performance related pay.
performance space n. space where drama, music, etc., may be performed; (as a count noun) an area in which a performance takes place, a venue; spec. the area in a theatre, concert hall, etc., in which the performers act, play instruments, etc., as opposed to the area where the audience sits.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > [noun] > other types of theatre
little theatre1569
private house1604
private playhouse1609
amphitheatre1611
private theatre1633
droll-house1705
summer theatre1761
show shop1772
national theatre1816
minor1821
legitimate1826
patent house1827
patent theatre1836
showboat1839
music theatre1849
penny-gaff1856
saloon theatre1864
leg shop1871
people's theatre1873
nickelodeon1888
repertory theatre1891
studio theatre1891
legit1897
blood-tub1906
rep1906
small-timer1910
grind house1923
theatrette1927
indie1928
vaude1933
straw hat1935
theatre-in-the-round1948
straw-hatter1949
bughouse1952
theatre-restaurant1958
dinner theatre1959
theatre club1961
black box1971
pub theatre1971
performance space1972
1972 Times 19 Jan. 10/1 The area is also a performance space.
1978 Washington Post (Nexis) 5 Jan. Md. 3 With no home of its own Street 70 has been obliged to seek rehearsal and performance space wherever it could be found.
1992 Time 20 Jan. 62/3 They began doing their Blue Man act on the sidewalks of New York City... Later they moved indoors to various performance spaces in Manhattan.
performance table n. British (chiefly Education and Economics) a table comparing and ranking the performance of a school, share, etc., against others.
ΚΠ
1968 Times 8 Aug. 6/6 It [sc. Lincoln College]..stands second only to Somerville in the performance table counts.
1998 Educ. Rev. 12 ii. 33 (advt.) Schools must speak for themselves... Performance tables and inspectors' reports can only tell a partial story.
performance test n. (a) Psychology a non-verbal test of capability or intelligence based on the performance of certain manual tasks (cf. sense 1e); (b) a measurement of the weight gain, food conversion, and other heritable characteristics of a farm animal, as a guide to selective breeding; (c) a test of the performance and specification of a machine or manufactured product.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > [noun] > performance testing
performance test1913
performance testing1946
the mind > mental capacity > psychology > developmental psychology > acquisition of knowledge > test of mental ability > [noun] > non-verbal > based on manual tasks
performance test1913
1913 N.Y. Med. Jrnl. 13 Sept. 523 Our performance and other tests were developed and standardized for time, etc., to suit our special needs.
1932 Proc. Soc. Animal Production xxiv. 52 The swine Record of Performance test is regarded as a progeny test of the sire and dam rather than as a performance test of the individual pigs which are fattened and slaughtered.
1970 T. R. Preston & M. B. Willis Intensive Beef Production iii. 137 Bulls on performance test should not be given hormone treatment.
1971 Gloss. Electrotechnical, Power Terms (B.S.I.) ii. iii. 43 Performance tests, the tests required to determine the characteristics of a machine and to show that the machine complies with its specification.
2000 Jrnl. Human Resources 35 393 There is consensus in the literature that standardized performance tests are only a partial measure of the education process.
performance tested adj. (of a farm animal) having had heritable qualities evaluated.
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the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > [adjective] > kept for breeding > performance tested
progeny-tested1937
performance tested1959
1959 Jrnl. Animal Sci. 18 1464 Seven years' data..were analyzed to determine the effectiveness of using final weight as a criterion in the selection of performance tested bulls.
1990 Farmweek 14 Mar. 36/3 (advt.) Performance Tested Boars. Brucellosis validated & PRV accredited herd.
performance testing n. the evaluation of the heritable characteristics of a farm animal or cultivated crop.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > [noun] > performance testing
performance test1913
performance testing1946
1946 Science 5 July 1/1 Performance testing cannot be combined with crop production but must be conducted as a separate breeding operation.
1970 T. R. Preston & M. B. Willis Intensive Beef Production iii. 137 The object of any system of performance testing must be to evaluate..genetic differences between animals in terms of their phenotypic expression.
1991 Weekend Post (Port Elizabeth) 9 Feb. (Leisure) 7 Bonsmara cattle... It [sc. the breed] has from the first been produced on the principle of performance testing—the only breed in the world raised on this principle.
performance text n. a text intended to be or capable of being performed.
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1947 Russ. Rev. 7 89 Gogol took pains to improve his work, and..he concentrated all his attention on polishing the performance text.
1989 Times Lit. Suppl. 16 June 656/3 Bruno Gentili seeks to use the insights of Havelock to explore the social context of early Greek literature as performance texts, rather than as written literature in the modern sense.
Derivatives
perˈformancer n. rare a performer.
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the world > action or operation > doing > [noun] > one who acts or does
wright971
doer1382
workerc1384
actorc1425
performerc1443
factor1461
committer1509
accomplisher1538
setter1548
enurer1556
performancer1621
commissioner1651
facienta1670
performant1809
enactor1837
transactor1863
1621 M. Wroth Countesse of Mountgomeries Urania 363 Cleare force must bee found in the best performancers of them.
1977 Acad. of Managem. Rev. 2 607/1 High-potential managers are most likely to have access to development programs, and poor performancers are likely to be targets for remedial programs.
perˈformancy n. rare a performance.
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the world > action or operation > carrying out > [noun] > of a command, duty, or plan
fulfilling1340
fulling1383
fullingc1400
acquittal1430
discharge1434
acquitc1460
performation1504
performance1530
performancy1608
acquittance1660
1608 Merry Deuill of Edmonton sig. F3v No coniurations, nor such weighty spells, As tie the soule to their performancy.
1976 Jrnl. Risk & Insurance 43 672 (title) Service performancy of insurance distributors.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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