arts

Etymology

noun

1. plural of art.
   That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired. And if the arts of humbleness failed him, he overcame you by sheer impudence. 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 2, in The Mirror and the Lamp

noun

1. The humanities.
   1. The study of languages and literature.
   2. The study of literature, philosophy, and the arts.
2. The liberal arts.