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.]
2. One trained to manual dexterity in some mechanic
art or trade; and handicraftsman; a mechanic.
This is willingly submitted to by the artisan, who
can . . . compensate his additional toil and fatigue.
Hume.
Syn. -- Artificer; artist. -- 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.
