English edit

Etymology edit

From discuss +‎ -ant.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

discussant (plural discussants)

  1. Someone involved in a discussion, especially a participant in a formal discussion or who has been assigned a particular role or topic. [from 20th c.]
    • 2005, Julie A. Cassiday, “Kirov and Death in The Great Citizen”, in Slavic Review, volume 64, number 4, page 799n:
      I would like to thank Cynthia Ruder, whose comments as panel discussant helped me to rework my original paper.
    • 2012, Faramerz Dabhoiwala, The Origins of Sex, Penguin, published 2013, page 319:
      The prominence given to readers' responses to topical issues [...] made concrete the sense of belonging to a large, active, and opinionated community of discussants.