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 artisans

Mr. Bachner stayed because he realized the city is filled with artisans and the possibilities fascinated him.
The Photographer Who Gave Up Manhattan for Marrakech|Liza Foreman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Other artisans see purity and integrity in their craft and have no dream of becoming recognized as the author of their own work.
Damien Hirst’s Army of Geppettos|Tim Teeman|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
None of the artisans Hetflaisz spent time with were resentful of the artists whose visions they spend their days interpreting.
Damien Hirst’s Army of Geppettos|Tim Teeman|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The robots can slice through stone and rough out vast blocks of stone while the artisans are sleeping.
Damien Hirst’s Army of Geppettos|Tim Teeman|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Yet for all artisans, there is an art in their craft, says Hetflaisz.
Damien Hirst’s Army of Geppettos|Tim Teeman|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The officials and artisans were hereditary, and hereditary officials are almost invariably inefficient and untrustworthy.
India Under British Rule|James Talboys Wheeler
Forced labour also was exacted, and artisans and tradesmen were subjected to pecuniary levies.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 2|Various
Then the five classes of artisans consulted one another, and made common cause.
Castes and Tribes of Southern India|Edgar Thurston
At least three hundred pike were taken here last winter by Norwich artisans.
The Handbook to the Rivers and Broads of Norfolk & Suffolk|G. Christopher Davies
Gentlemens servants who chanced to be out at night, as well as the sons of artisans, were seized and carried off.
Old and New Paris, v. 2|Henry Sutherland Edwards

British Dictionary definitions for artisans

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