art
1
(ärt)
KEY
NOUN:
- Human effort to imitate, supplement, alter, or counteract the work of nature.
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- 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.
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- 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.
ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English, from Old French, from Latin
ars
, art-; see
ar- in Indo-European roots
SYNONYMS:
art
1
, craft
, 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.