http://everything2.com/?node=New%20Writeups%20Atom%20Feed&foruser=term of art 2004-09-02T08:48:22Z http://everything2.com/user/term+of+art/writeups/term+of+artterm of arthttp://everything2.com/user/term of art2004-09-02T08:48:22Z2004-09-02T08:48:22Z A <a href="/title/word">word</a> or <a href="/title/phrase">phrase</a> used by <a href="/title/practitioner">practitioners</a> in a <a href="/title/field">field</a> of <a href="/title/endeavour">endeavour</a> which has a <a href="/title/precise">precise</a> and typically quite <a href="/title/technical">technical</a> meaning within the <a href="/title/context">context</a> of the field of endeavour. <a href="/title/Term+of+art">Terms of art</a> allow practitioners in a field to <a href="/title/communicate">communicate</a> with each other <a href="/title/concisely">concisely</a> and <a href="/title/unambiguous">unambiguously</a>. <p> Inventing suitable yet totally <a href="/title/coined+word">new words</a> to be used as terms of art is often quite difficult. Consequently, the words which become terms of art often also have non-field-specific meanings. This can <a href="/title/create">create</a> and/or <a href="/title/reinforce">reinforce</a> <a href="/title/communication+barrier">communication barriers</a> between a field's practitioners and non-practitioners. Unfortunately, inventing totally new words or <a href="/title/borrow">borrowing</a> words from other <a href="/title/language">languages</a> can also contribute to said communication barriers (see "de bene esse" below). <p> The <a href="/title/extent">extent</a> to which a practitioner uses their field's terms of art correctly and routinely is a <a href="/title/strong">strong</a> <a href="/title/indicator">indicator</a> of the <a href="/title/depth">depth</a> and <a href="/title/breadth">breadth</a> of&hellip;