Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “artist” come from?

Artist comes from French artiste, from Latin artista, from Latin ars meaning skill or craft, from Proto-Indo-European h₂er-.

artist (English): A person who creates art; A person who is skilled...

Definitions

  1. A person who creates art; A person who is skilled...

Ancestry of “artist”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchartisteartist
2Latinartista—
3Latinarsart; skill, craft, handicraft, trade, power
4Proto-Italicartis—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂értisfitting
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂er-to fit, to fix, to put together

Words derived from “artist”

  • artists
  • artistry
  • nonartist
  • artistly
  • artistess
  • cyberartist
  • paleoartist
  • artistdom
  • ecoartist
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- →