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Use and Misuse / Re: No need to hold “celebrant” in a straightjacket

« on: April 29, 2017, 11:38:58 AM »

Let me add Merriam-Webster's Learner's definition of celebrant to your list:

2 US : a person who celebrates something

Although the word celebrant is also acceptable in this context, it is not normally used by Americans or other native speakers in everyday situations. My relative used to ask, "Who's the celebrant?" or "Where's the celebrant?" until one of her colleagues "corrected" her, so she started to use celebrator:

Who's / Where's the celebrator?

However, Americans would normally use birthday boy/girl (colloquial) regardless of the age of the one celebrating. (The terms celebrant or celebrator is normally used in formal situations.)  

Who's birthday are we celebrating?
Where's the birthday girl?

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Essays by Joe Carillo / Re: Settling the often-derided usage of “celebrant” once and for all

« on: October 22, 2011, 11:40:36 PM »

Hi, I just want to share what I learned from native English speakers (US and UK). The term birthday "celebrant" is also acceptable based on the American Heritage dictionary, but native speakers still wouldn't use it in familiar language. For them, the use of "celebrant" and "celebrator" is too formal and they sound strange and pretentious to them in casual conversations. Instead, they would normally say:

Whose birthday is it?
Whose birthday are we celebrating?
Who is the birthday boy/girl? (even for old people)

The terms "celebrant" or "celebrator" is used in formal contexts and may appear, for example, in invitations, newspapers, etc.