It's an interesting point. Writing tutorials like this also made me realize what's the difference between a function property and a function argument. I just used them completely interchangeably before. So element is more accurate here?
I have done a ton of tutorials, myself, and have found that using vernacular, and expressing in basic, readable language, always works best. Being too pedantic can make it seem "stilted."
But, yes, SVG is an application of XML.