art
 I. art1 (ärt)n.
1. Human effort to imitate, supplement, alter, or counteract the work of nature.
2.
a. 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.
b. The study of these activities.
c. The product of these activities; human works of beauty considered as a group.
3. High quality of conception or execution, as found in works of beauty; aesthetic value.
4. A field or category of art, such as music, ballet, or literature.
5. A nonscientific branch of learning; one of the liberal arts.
6.
a. A system of principles and methods employed in the performance of a set of activities:
the art of building.
b. A trade or craft that applies such a system of principles and methods:
the art of the lexicographer.
7.
a. Skill that is attained by study, practice, or observation:
the art of the baker; the blacksmith's art.
b. Skill arising from the exercise of intuitive faculties: “Self-criticism is an art not many are qualified to practice” (Joyce Carol Oates).
8.
a. arts Artful devices, stratagems, and tricks.
b. Artful contrivance; cunning.
9. Printing. Illustrative material. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin ars, art-. See ar- in Indo-European Roots.]
Synonyms: art1, 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. II. art2 (ərt; ärt when stressed)v. Archaic
A second person singular present indicative of be. [Middle English, from Old English eart. See er-1 in Indo-European Roots.]
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