artisan

[ahr-tuh-zuh n] /ˈɑr tə zən/
noun
1.
a person skilled in an applied art; a craftsperson.
2.
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
3.
pertaining to an artisan or the product of an artisan; artisanal:
artisan beer.
Origin
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
artisanship, noun
Can be confused
artisan, artist, artiste (see synonym study at artist)
Synonym Study
See artist.
Examples from the web for artisan
  • With the craft-cocktail revolution well under way, skillfully made libations are edging closer to artisan status.
  • It could be a member of our literary or artisan community, looking to strike up a conversation and leaving with inspiration.
  • It took two months for the artisan to create a sort of hand-tooled leather chrysanthemum wallpaper, but the results are exquisite.
  • The act of painting remains the absolute center of her life, and she approaches it with an artisan's industry and discipline.
  • The West's artisan honeys are as diverse as the regions they come from.
  • Standardization has turned the fulfilling work of the artisan into the cheerless repetitive job of the factory worker.
  • At least a dozen brands of artisan chocolate can be found at many grocery stores.
  • This attracts funky artisan types, who gradually make an area more interesting to small businesses and local tourists.
  • Listeria can pose special challenges for artisan cheesemakers.
  • The artisan starts with a detailed sketch, which then functions as a kind of jigsaw puzzle.
British Dictionary definitions for artisan

artisan

/ˈɑːtɪˌzæn; ˌɑːtɪˈzæn/
noun
1.
a skilled workman; craftsman
2.
(obsolete) an artist
Derived Forms
artisanal (ɑːˈtɪzənəl; ˈɑːtɪzənəl) adjective
Word Origin
C16: from French, from Old Italian artigiano, from arteart1
Word Origin and History for artisan
n.

1530s, from Italian artesano, from Vulgar Latin artitianus, from Latin artitus, past participle of artire "to instruct in the arts," from ars (genitive artis) "art" (see art (n.)). Barnhart reports Middle French artisan, often listed as the direct source of the English word, is attested too late to be so.

adj.

1859, from artisan (n.).