Artisan

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Artisan \Ar"ti*san\ (?; 277), n. [F. artisan, fr. L. artitus
     skilled in arts, fr. ars, artis, art: cf. It. artigiano. See
     {Art}, n.]
     1. One who professes and practices some liberal art; an
        artist. [Obs.]
        [1913 Webster]


  
     2. One trained to manual dexterity in some mechanic art or
        trade; and handicraftsman; a mechanic.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              This is willingly submitted to by the artisan, who
              can . . . compensate his additional toil and
              fatigue.                              --Hume.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Syn: Artificer; artist.
  
     Usage: {Artisan}, {Artist}, {Artificer}. An artist is one who
            is skilled in some one of the fine arts; an artisan is
            one who exercises any mechanical employment. A
            portrait painter is an artist; a sign painter is an
            artisan, although he may have the taste and skill of
            an artist. The occupation of the former requires a
            fine taste and delicate manipulation; that of the
            latter demands only an ordinary degree of contrivance
            and imitative power. An artificer is one who requires
            power of contrivance and adaptation in the exercise of
            his profession. The word suggest neither the idea of
            mechanical conformity to rule which attaches to the
            term artisan, nor the ideas of refinement and of
            peculiar skill which belong to the term artist.
            [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  artisan
       n : a skilled worker who practices some trade or handicraft
           [syn: {craftsman}, {journeyman}, {artificer}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  54 Moby Thesaurus words for "artisan":
     Admirable Crichton, adept, aeromechanic, apprentice, artificer,
     artist, artiste, attache, authority, connaisseur, connoisseur,
     consultant, copyist, cordon bleu, crack shot, craftsman,
     craftswoman, creator, dauber, daubster, dead shot, diplomat,
     diplomatist, elder statesman, experienced hand, expert,
     expert consultant, graduate, handicraftsman, handy man, journeyman,
     machinist, maker, marksman, master, master carpenter,
     master craftsman, mechanic, mechanician, no slouch, old master,
     politician, prentice, pro, professional, professor, proficient,
     savant, shark, sharp, statesman, technical adviser, technician,
     wright