Mechanic arts

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The phrase mechanic arts is an obsolete and archaic term. In the 19th century, it referred to fields, some of which are now known as engineering. It was apparently an attempt to distinguish these fields from creative and artistic endeavors like the performing arts and the fine arts which were for the upper class of the time and the intelligentsia. It were also considered practical fields for those that did not come from good families. A related phrase, "useful arts," probably encompassed the mechanic arts as well as craftsmanship in general.

The most famous usage of "mechanic arts" (and the one in which it is most commonly encountered today) is in the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act.

In the medieval period, the Seven Mechanical Arts were intended as a complement to the Seven Liberal Arts, and consisted of weaving, blacksmithing, war, navigation, agriculture, hunting, medicine, and the ars theatrica.

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