Artisan, n.
Etymology: [F. artisan, fr. L. artitus skilled in arts, fr. ars, artis, art: cf. It. artigiano. See Art, n.]
1. One who professes and practices some liberal art; an artist. [Obs.]
2. One trained to manual dexterity in some mechanic art or trade; and handicraftsman; a mechanic. This is willingly submitted to by the artisan, who can . . . compensate his additional toil and fatigue. Hume.
Syn. -- Artificer; artist. -- Artisan, Artist, Artificer. An artist is one who is skilled in some one of the fine arts; an artisan is one who exercises any mechanical employment. A portrait painter is an artist; a sign painter is an artisan, although he may have the taste and skill of an artist. The occupation of the former requires a fine taste and delicate manipulation; that of the latter demands only an ordinary degree of contrivance and imitative power. An artificer is one who requires power of contrivance and adaptation in the exercise of his profession. The word suggest neither the idea of mechanical conformity to rule which attaches to the term artisan, nor the ideas of refinement and of peculiar skill which belong to the term artist.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for artisan; he lists it under artist.
Where he writes about it:
Artist, artificer and artisan are all from the root of art, but artist holds to the esthetic sense, while artificer and artisan follow the mechanical or industrial sense of the word (see ART under science). — from artist
The work of the artist is creative; that of the artisan mechanical. — from artist
The man who paints a beautiful picture is an artist; the man who makes pin-heads all day is an artisan. — from artist
The artificer is between the two, putting more thought, intelligence, and taste into his work than the artisan, but less of the idealizing, creative power than the artist. — from artist