A recession was never 2 periods of GDP drop. It was taken in the context of everything. Also what's the point of the word if 2 slightly negative quarters don't impact much at all?
What's the point of the word? It's to define the state in a boolean or absolute sense regarding a qualitative measure.
It's about like using the word "retarded" to describe someone whose development has been... slowed. Albeit technically accurate to a pedant, we use the term to mean something different & more precise.