liberal arts
liberal arts
Definition
liberal arts
- Historical the subjects in the trivium and quadrivium
- the subjects of an academic college course, including literature, philosophy, languages, history, and, usually, survey courses of the sciences, as distinguished from professional or technical subjects: sometimes referred to as arts, as in Bachelor of Arts
Etymology: transl. of L artes liberales, lit., arts befitting a freeman: so named in contrast to artes serviles, lower (lit., servile) arts, and because open to study only by freemen (L liberi); in later use understood as “arts becoming a gentleman”
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