Art

from The Century Dictionary.

• The second person singular, indicative mood, present tense, of the verb be (which see).
• To force; compel; constrain.
• To induce; incite.
• Also written arct.
• A suffix, another form of -ard, as in braggart.
• noun The combination or modification of things to adapt them to a given end; the employment of given means to effect a purpose.
• noun Skill; dexterity; an especial facility in performing any operation, intellectual or physical, acquired by experience or study; knack.
• noun Artfulness; cunning.
• noun A system of rules and traditional methods for facilitating the performance of certain actions; acquaintance with such rules or skill in applying them, as in any manual trade or handicraft, technical profession, or physical accomplishment: as, the art of building or of engraving; the healing art; the art of music or of dancing; the practical or the elegant arts: in this sense opposed to science.
• noun An organized body of men practising a given trade, and carrying out an established system of rules and traditions; a guild.
• noun A branch of learning regarded as an instrument of thought, or as something the knowledge of which is to be acquired in order to be applied or practised: chiefly in the plural, and in such phrases as master of arts, faculty of arts, etc.
• noun Esthetics; the science and theory of beauty in perception and expression.
• noun Artistic or esthetic quality; the exhibition of the power of perceiving the beautiful and of expressing it in artistic forms: as, a picture skilfully painted, but devoid of art. The actual production or construction of objects beautiful in form, color, or sound; the practical application of esthetic principles, as in the departments of production specifically called the fine arts (which see, below); especially, painting and sculpture.
• noun Synonyms Aptitude, readiness, address, tact, adroitness, contrivance.
• noun Shrewdness, subtlety, cunning, artifice, deceit, duplicity.
• noun Art, Science. The essential diference between an art and a science is in aim. “Science and art may be said to be investigations of truth, but science inquires for the sake of knowledge, art for the sake of production.” (Karslake.) Hence, they differ somewhat in that with which they are concerned. “An art directly and immediately concerns itself with a faculty…. It fastens upon that, and keeps it ever in its view as it teaches how that may be developed, trained, and guided. A science, on the other hand, regards rather the product of faculty, and, keeping its view directly upon that, proceeds to unfold its nature and proper characteristics.”(H. N. Day, Art of Discourse, § 1.) Incidental to this difference is a difference in method, science being analytic and critical, while art is synthetic and constructive. In the matter which makes up the body of the two an art, involves the means of discipline in the use of the knowledge which may have been furnished by a corresponding science. The same branch of knowledge may be regarded as either a science or an art. It may be viewed theoretically, as seeking, coördinating, arranging, and systematizing knowledge, and by observation, comparison, abstraction, and generalization deducing laws; or as, with more or less reference to such preparatory work, framing rules which are the lessons of experience, and are designed to facilitate work or give it superior excellence. The more complete the scientific basis of an art, the more perfect the art. There is a secondary use of the word science by which it stands for an art that thus rests upon a science, as in the following:

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• The second person singular, indicative mode, present tense, of the substantive verb be; but formed after the analogy of the plural are, with the ending -t, as in thou shalt, wilt, orig. an ending of the second person sing. pret. Cf. be. Now used only in solemn or poetical style.
• noun The employment of means to accomplish some desired end; the adaptation of things in the natural world to the uses of life; the application of knowledge or power to practical purposes.
• noun A system of rules serving to facilitate the performance of certain actions; a system of principles and rules for attaining a desired end; method of doing well some special work; -- often contradistinguished from science or speculative principles
• noun The systematic application of knowledge or skill in effecting a desired result. Also, an occupation or business requiring such knowledge or skill.
• noun The application of skill to the production of the beautiful by imitation or design, or an occupation in which skill is so employed, as in painting and sculpture; one of the fine arts.
• noun Those branches of learning which are taught in the academical course of colleges.
• noun Archaic Learning; study; applied knowledge, science, or letters.
• noun Skill, dexterity, or the power of performing certain actions, acquired by experience, study, or observation; knack.
• noun Skillful plan; device.
• noun Cunning; artifice; craft.
• noun obsolete The black art; magic.
• noun (Scots Law) share or concern by aiding and abetting a criminal in the perpetration of a crime, whether by advice or by assistance in the execution; complicity.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• proper noun A diminutive of the male given name Arthur.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun the creation of beautiful or significant things
• noun the products of human creativity; works of art collectively
• noun photographs or other visual representations in a printed publication
• noun a superior skill that you can learn by study and practice and observation