artisan

[ ahr-tuh-zuh n ]

/ ˈɑr tə zən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR artisan ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person skilled in an applied art; a craftsperson.

a person or company that makes a high-quality or distinctive product in small quantities, usually by hand or using traditional methods: our favorite local food artisans.

adjective

pertaining to an artisan or the product of an artisan; artisanal: artisan beer.

Nearby words

artillery, artillery plant, artilleryman, artio-, artiodactyl, artisan, artisanal, artist, artiste, artistic, artistic director

Origin of artisan

1530–40; < French < Italian artigiano, equivalent to Latin artīt(us) trained in arts and crafts (past participle of artīre; see art¹, -ite²) + Italian -iano (< Latin -iānus) -ian

Related forms

ar·ti·san·ship, noun

Can be confused

artisan artist artiste (see synonym study at artist)

Synonym study

See artist.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for artisan

The relationship between artist and artisan is therefore very symbiotic, says Hetflaisz.
Damien Hirst’s Army of Geppettos|Tim Teeman|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Szymon Oltarzewski is a Polish-born artisan who is also a sculptor in his own right.
Damien Hirst’s Army of Geppettos|Tim Teeman|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When the artist themselves is often continents away, those artistic decisions are made by the artisan.
Damien Hirst’s Army of Geppettos|Tim Teeman|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But from the anguish of soulless industrial lagers rises the emancipation of artisan brewing.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama|Jeff Campagna|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But big corporations are taking shortcuts and pricing the artisan products out of the bar...and out of business.
Grab A Shot Glass: Craft Tequila Needs Your Help|Kayleigh Kulp|September 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Snatch from their enemies the descendants of my sister, from the artisan up to the king's son.
The Wandering Jew, Complete|Eugene Sue
In some dingy corner, perhaps, in some damp kennel which is supposed to be a room, an artisan has just awakened from sleep.
Poor Folk|Fyodor Dostoyevsky
So continual were the demands upon every kind of artisan, that the impossibility of executing them threw several into despair.
The Art of Needle-work, from the Earliest Ages, 3rd ed.|Elizabeth Stone
Palissy and Wedgwood are names that ought to be venerated by every artisan.
Knowledge is Power:|Charles Knight
The “common man,” especially the artisan of the towns, knew a great deal about the Bible.
A History of the Reformation (Vol. 2 of 2)|Thomas M. Lindsay

British Dictionary definitions for artisan

artisan

/ (ˈɑːtɪˌzæn, ˌɑːtɪˈzæn) /

noun

a skilled workman; craftsman

obsolete an artist

Derived Forms

artisanal (ɑːˈtɪzənəl, ˈɑːtɪzənəl), adjective

Word Origin for artisan

C16: from French, from Old Italian artigiano, from arte art 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012