art
1 (ärt)
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin ars, art-.]
noun
- Human effort to imitate, supplement, alter, or counteract the work of nature.
- The conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colors, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium.
- The study of these activities.
- The product of these activities; human works of beauty considered as a group.
- High quality of conception or execution, as found in works of beauty; aesthetic value.
- A field or category of art, such as music, ballet, or literature.
- A nonscientific branch of learning; one of the liberal arts.
- A system of principles and methods employed in the performance of a set of activities: the art of building.
- A trade or craft that applies such a system of principles and methods: the art of the lexicographer.
- Skill that is attained by study, practice, or observation: the art of the baker; the blacksmith's art.
- Skill arising from the exercise of intuitive faculties: “Self-criticism is an art not many are qualified to practice” (Joyce Carol Oates)
- arts. Artful devices, stratagems, and tricks.
- Artful contrivance; cunning.
- Printing Illustrative material.
synonyms:
art1craft, expertise, knack, know-how, technique These nouns denote skill in doing or performing that is attained by study, practice, or observation: the art of rhetoric; pottery that reveals an artist's craft; political expertise; a knack for teaching; mechanical know-how; a precise diving technique.
art
2 (ərt; ärt when stressed )
[Middle English, from Old English eart.]
verb
Archaic
- A second person singular present indicative of be
