performance

See also: Performance and perfórmance

English

Alternative forms

• performaunce (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English parfourmaunce; equivalent to perform +‎ -ance.

Pronunciation

• enPR: pər-fôrʹ-məns, IPA^(key): /pəɹ.ˈfɔɹ.məns/
  • (UK) IPA^(key): [pə.ˈfɔː.məns]
  • (US) IPA^(key): [pɚ.ˈfɔɹ.məns]

  • Audio (GA)

    (file)

• Hyphenation: per‧for‧mance

Noun

performance (countable and uncountable, plural performances)

1. The act of performing; carrying into execution or action; execution; achievement; accomplishment; representation by action.

   the performance of an undertaking or a duty

   Though the result wasn't what we were hoping for, I have to commend the performance of the team, never giving up until the end.

   • 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:

     Charles had not been employed above six months at Darracott Place, but he was not such a whopstraw as to make the least noise in the performance of his duties when his lordship was out of humour.

2. That which is performed or accomplished; a thing done or carried through; an achievement; a deed; an act; a feat; especially, an action of an elaborate or public character.
3. (art) A live show or concert.

   The band played a mix of old and new songs during their 90-minute performance.

   We saw the whole ballet performance from the front row.

4. The amount of useful work accomplished estimated in terms of time needed, resources used, etc.

   Better performance means more work accomplished in shorter time and/or using fewer resources.

5. (linguistics) The actual use of language in concrete situations by native speakers of a language, as opposed to the system of linguistic knowledge they possess (competence), cf. linguistic performance.

Usage notes

• Adjectives often applied to "performance": high, poor, improved, superior, excellent, good, peak, top, optimal, low, economic, academic, financial, musical, human, environmental, vocal, cognitive, dynamic, organizational, historical, physical, social, mechanical, electrical, mental, macroeconomic.

Hyponyms

Hyponyms of performance (arts)

• command performance
• concert
• movie
• play
• show

 

Derived terms

• concert performance
• high-performance
• high-performance liquid chromatography
• key performance indicator
• low-performance
• performance anxiety
• performance arousal
• performance art
• performance artist
• performance bond
• performance-driven
• performance management
• performance metric
• performance poetry
• seismic performance
• specific performance
• street performance

 

Related terms

• performant

Descendants

• → Albanian: performancë
• → Catalan: performance
• → Danish: performance
• → French: performance
  • → Turkish: performans
• → German: Performance
• → Italian: performance
• → Japanese: パフォーマンス (pafōmansu)
• → Portuguese: performance
• → Spanish: performance
• → Swedish: performance

Translations

the act of performing; carrying into execution or action; accomplishment

• Albanian: performancë
• Arabic: أَدَاء m (ʔadāʔ)
• Belarusian: выкана́нне n (vykanánnje), выпаўне́нне n (vypaŭnjénnje)
• Bulgarian: изпълне́ние (bg) n (izpǎlnénie), извъ́ршване (bg) n (izvǎ́ršvane)
• Catalan: actuació (ca) f, execució (ca) f
• Czech: výkon (cs) m, provedení (cs) n, vykonání n
• Dutch: uitvoering (nl)
• Esperanto: prezentado
• Finnish: suoritus (fi)
• French: exécution (fr) f, performance (fr) f
• Georgian: შესრულება (šesruleba), სისრულეში მოყვანა (sisruleši moq̇vana), განხორციელება (ganxorcieleba), მოქმედება (mokmedeba), აღსრულება (aɣsruleba)
• German: Durchführung (de) f, Leistung (de) f
• Greek: συμπεριφορά (el) f (symperiforá)
• Hungarian: teljesítés (hu), elvégzés (hu), véghez vitel
• Italian: esecuzione (it) f, prestazione (it) f
• Latin: functiō f, exsecūtiō f
• Polish: wykonanie (pl) n
• Portuguese: desempenho (pt)
• Romanian: performanță (ro) f, randament (ro) n, îndeplinire (ro) f, desăvârșire (ro) f
• Russian: выполне́ние (ru) n (vypolnénije), исполне́ние (ru) n (ispolnénije)
• Spanish: actuación (es) f, cumplimiento (es) m, ejecución (es) f, desempeño (es) m
• Swedish: utförande (sv), verkställande (sv)
• Turkish: performans (tr)
• Ukrainian: викона́ння n (vykonánnja)

that which is performed or accomplished

• Bulgarian: де́йствие (bg) n (déjstvie), постъ́пка (bg) f (postǎ́pka)
• Catalan: realització (ca) f, execució (ca) f
• Czech: výkon (cs) m
• Finnish: suoritus (fi), saavutus (fi)
• French: exécution (fr) f, performance (fr) f
• German: Leistung (de) f
• Greek: απόδοση (el) (apódosi)
• Hungarian: teljesítmény (hu), (informal) nagy dolog
• Italian: prestazione (it) f, rendimento (it) m
• Portuguese: desempenho (pt)
• Romanian: realizare (ro) f, realizări f pl, performanță (ro) f, prestație (ro) f
• Russian: де́йствие (ru) n (déjstvije), посту́пок (ru) m (postúpok)
• Spanish: realización (es) f, ejecución (es) f, rendimiento (es) m, prestación (es) f, desempeño (es)

live show or concert

• Albanian: performancë
• Arabic: مَسْرَحِيَّة f (masraḥiyya)
• Armenian: ներկայացում (hy) (nerkayacʿum)
• Belarusian: прадстаўле́нне n (pradstaŭljénnje), выступле́нне n (vystupljénnje)
• Bulgarian: представле́ние (bg) n (predstavlénie)
• Catalan: representació (ca) f, actuació (ca) f, espectacle (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 表演 (zh) (biǎoyǎn)

• Czech: představení (cs) n, vystoupení (cs) n
• Dutch: opvoering (nl) f
• Esperanto: prezentado
• Estonian: etendus
• Finnish: esitys (fi), esiintyminen (fi), näytäntö (fi), näytös (fi)
• French: représentation (fr) f, prestation (fr) f
• Georgian: შესრულება (šesruleba), წარმოდგენა (c̣armodgena), პერფორმანსი (ṗerpormansi) (colloquial)
• German: Aufführung (de) f, Auftritt (de) m, Performance (de) f
• Greek: παράσταση (el) f (parástasi)

  Ancient Greek: θέα f (théa)

• Hebrew: הַצָּגָה (he) f (hatsagá)
• Hungarian: előadás (hu)
• Italian: prestazione (it) f, esibizione (it) f
• Japanese: 演奏 (ja) (えんそう, ensō), 公演 (ja) (こうえん, kōen)
• Korean: 공연(公演) (ko) (gong'yeon), 연주(演奏) (ko) (yeonju)
• Macedonian: изведба f (izvedba), претстава f (pretstava), настап m (nastap)
• Malay: persembahan
• Norwegian: forestilling (no) m or f, opptreden m, fremføring m or f
• Ottoman Turkish: اویون (oyun)
• Polish: występ (pl) m, przedstawienie (pl) n
• Portuguese: apresentação (pt) f
• Russian: выступле́ние (ru) n (vystuplénije), представле́ние (ru) n (predstavlénije), перфо́рманс (ru) m (perfórmans)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: на́ступ m

  Roman: nástup (sh) m

• Slovak: predstavenie n
• Spanish: actuación (es) f, número (es) m, espectáculo (es) m, representación (es) f, prestación (es) f, exhibición (es) f
• Swedish: uppträdande (sv) n, föreställning (sv), framträdande (sv) n
• Turkish: performans (tr)
• Ukrainian: ви́ступ m (výstup), виста́ва f (vystáva)

amount of useful work accomplished

• Belarusian: прадукцы́йнасць f (pradukcýjnascʹ)
• Bulgarian: производи́телност (bg) f (proizvodítelnost)
• Catalan: rendiment (ca) m
• Czech: výkonnost f, výkon (cs) m
• Finnish: suorituskyky (fi)
• French: performance (fr) f
• Georgian: მწარმოებლურობა (mc̣armoebluroba), ქმედუნარიანობა (kmedunarianoba), მუშაობა (mušaoba), შესრულება (šesruleba), წარმადობა (c̣armadoba)
• German: Leistung (de) f, Arbeitsleistung f
• Greek: βελτιστοποίηση (el) f (veltistopoíisi)
• Hungarian: teljesítmény (hu)
• Macedonian: перформанса f (performansa)
• Polish: produktywność (pl) f
• Portuguese: desempenho (pt) m, performance (pt) f
• Russian: производи́тельность (ru) f (proizvodítelʹnostʹ), продукти́вность (ru) f (produktívnostʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: перформа̀нса f

  Roman: performànsa (sh) f

• Spanish: rendimiento (es) m, desempeño (es) m, prestación (es) f
• Swedish: prestanda (sv)
• Ukrainian: викона́ння n (vykonánnja), швидкоді́я f (švydkodíja), продукти́вність f (produktývnistʹ)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Irish: ^{(please verify)} gníomhaíocht f

References

• “performance”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• performance in Keywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary, edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018.
• “performance”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from English performance.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /perˈfɔrməns/

Noun

performance f (plural performances)

1. performance (a live show or concert)

Further reading

• “performance”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024

French

Etymology

Orthographic borrowing from English performance.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɛʁ.fɔʁ.mɑ̃s/

• audio

  (file)

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑ̃s

Noun

performance f (plural performances)

1. (sports) performance

Descendants

• → Turkish: performans

Further reading

• “performance”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English performance.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /perˈfɔr.mans/
• Rhymes: -ɔrmans

Noun

performance f (invariable)

1. performance

Synonyms

• (the act of performing) esecuzione
• (accomplishment) prestazione, rendimento
• (show) esibizione

Further reading

• performance in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• perfórmance (uncommon)

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English performance.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /peʁˈfɔʁ.mɐ̃.si/ [pehˈfɔɦ.mɐ̃.si]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /peʁˈfɔʁ.mɐ̃.si/ [pehˈfɔɦ.mɐ̃.si]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /peɾˈfɔɾ.mɐ̃.si/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /peʁˈfɔʁ.mɐ̃.si/ [peχˈfɔʁ.mɐ̃.si]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /peɻˈfɔɻ.mɐ̃.se/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /pɨɾˈfɔɾ.mɐ̃.sɨ/, /pɛɾˈfɔɾ.mɐ̃.sɨ/

• Rhymes: -ɔʁmɐ̃si
• Hyphenation: per‧for‧man‧ce

Noun

performance f (plural performances)

1. acting performance

   Synonyms: atuação, desempenho

2. realization
3. feat
4. (art) performance (artistic manifestation based on staging that can combine dance, music, audiovisual media)
5. (linguistics) performance (manifestation of a speaker's linguistic competence)

Further reading

• “performance” in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa. Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2024.
• “performance” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English performance.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /peɾˈfoɾmans/ [peɾˈfoɾ.mãns]
  • Rhymes: -oɾmans
• IPA^(key): (sometimes) /ˈpeɾfoɾmans/ [ˈpeɾ.foɾ.mãns]
  • Rhymes: -eɾfoɾmans

Noun

performance f (plural performances)

1. performance art
2. performance (amount of useful work accomplished)

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Further reading

• “performance”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014