Originally Posted by
Bah Humbug
"Brifter" refers to the combination of a brake lever and shifter. "Shifter" is a term that includes downtube shifters. And stem shifters. And grip shifters. And anything else that might have been cooked up at some point in history. It's a new word that accurately and succinctly describes a specific type of component, across different brands.
Not that I expect to persuade you, of course.
Yeah, if you say brifter everyone knows exactly what you are talking about. I see no reason not to use it. Especially since it cuts down on confusion. The only problem is when its use causes pages and pages of discussion as to weather it should be used.