term of art

noun phrase

: a term that has a specialized meaning in a particular field or profession

Examples of term of art in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But today, the word, which is also a legal term of art, has a different context and usage in online spaces. Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2024 And because long-term Treasuries have a high duration — a term of art denoting the sensitivity of a bond’s price to changes in interest rates — the value of long-term bonds generally is likely to keep fluctuating as long as interest rates remain unstable. Jeff Sommer, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2023 After becoming a civilian, the term of art for a nondancer, Wells turned to modelling. Hannah Zeavin, The New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2023 Codas are clearly learned or, to use the term of art, socially transmitted. Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2023 From the moment the algorithms set to work detecting their targets until these targets are prosecuted — a term of art in the field — no more than two or three minutes elapse. Bruno Maçães, Time, 10 July 2023 What all these fighters seek is freedom, a word that appears capitalized throughout the book, like a term of art or faith. Giri Nathan, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'term of art.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of term of art was in 1570

Dictionary Entries Near term of art

Cite this Entry

“Term of art.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/term%20of%20art. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Legal Definition

term of art

: a word having a particular meaning in a field (as the law)

called also word of art

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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