I suppose "responsive design" was so called because the page layout, and elements within it, "respond" to changes in the device's screensize, rather than remaining static (sites with simple floated layouts and no fixed widths, were always, to an extent, "responsive", but no one used that term before 2010); "design" obviously because it is a conscious decision on the part of the designer to create different layouts for different breakpoints. I agree that it's a stupid name, though perhaps not orthogonal to its intended meaning.
If a client says to me "I would like the site to be responsive" now, in 2014, I would consider what I know of the client before assuming which they mean of "reacts quickly" and "has media queries" - and I would always seek to clarify regardless.
(I don't care in the slightest about the down-votes, but thank you for your concern!)
If a client says to me "I would like the site to be responsive" now, in 2014, I would consider what I know of the client before assuming which they mean of "reacts quickly" and "has media queries" - and I would always seek to clarify regardless.
(I don't care in the slightest about the down-votes, but thank you for your concern!)