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discussant

discussant

1 8.0
A person who gives feedback on presentations at a conference
  • noun
  • /dɪsˈkʌsənt/
  • Jargon
translation icon : discutidor
  • At the conference, each discussant presented their views on climate change policy.
  • minority discussants
  • majority discussants
  • thank the discussants

Examples

  • During his remarks, discussant Bill Gale had noted that the net effect ranged from 0.7 to 4 percent of GDP.

    Academic text (2016)
  • During exploratory talk, discussants propose and defend their own solutions to problems.

    Academic text (1990)
  • One majority discussant, for example, told us that being a SEAL was "every boy's dream."

    Academic text (2000)
  • Therefore, it is also our view that discussants should consider and address the following needs:

    Academic text (1991)
  • Our thanks go to both discussants for their comments.

    Academic text (2000)
  • We thank both discussants for their time and helpful comments.

    Academic text (2000)
  • According to our discussants, this perception is shared by both the military and civilian communities.

    Academic text (2000)
  • We wish to thank the discussants for their informative comments.

    Academic text (1997)
  • The discussants did much to extend the broad scope of the proceedings even further.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Therefore, teachers continue to play a pivotal role as guides, facilitators, and discussants when SIGs are used as instructional tools.

    Academic text (2012)

Synonyms

panelist
vsdiscussant
138 3.7

A person who takes part in a public discussion and answers questions from the audience

covers any formal discussion participant not only panel members
symposiast
vsdiscussant
9.9

A person who speaks or joins a discussion at a formal meeting

applies to formal discussion roles across conferences not just symposium settings

How Involved

chair
258 3.1
panelist
138 3.7
discussant
  • Jargon
1 8.0
participant
295 2.4
attendee
68 3.0
spectator
123 2.6

Surface Forms

discussant singular
discussants plural

Morphology

discussant = discuss (transparent) = discuss + ant

Clear agentive formation from the verb 'discuss' with the suffix '-ant', yielding 'one who discusses'.

Etymology

Discussant comes from discuss plus the ending -ant, which means 'one who'. Think of discuss as 'shaking apart' ideas to look at them, so a discussant is 'one who' talks about, explains, and asks questions about a paper at a meeting.